Love is not only something Jesus spoke about; it is the essence of who He is. When people asked Him which commandment was the greatest, He did not give a long list or a complex rule. He simply said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind… and you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39). In these few words, He summed up the entire law and the heart of God’s will for humanity.
Many people think of love as a feeling — something that comes and goes. But Jesus taught that true love is an act of the will, a choice that flows from the heart of God. In the Gospel of John, He says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). That little phrase — “as I have loved you” — changes everything. Jesus’ love is not based on comfort or convenience. It is a love that serves, sacrifices, forgives, and endures.
To love as Jesus loves means to see others not through the eyes of judgment, but through the eyes of mercy. On the Cross, He showed what that love looks like — arms outstretched, praying even for those who nailed Him there: “Father, forgive them.” Love, in the Christian sense, is not weakness; it is divine strength that chooses forgiveness over revenge, generosity over selfishness, and compassion over indifference.
In daily life, this teaching calls us to love not only those who love us back, but even those who hurt us. Jesus said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). That is not easy. Yet this kind of love is what makes us children of our heavenly Father. It is love that reflects the very light of Christ to a world still learning what love truly means.
When we live this way — forgiving, serving, and giving without expecting return — we begin to experience the joy of the Kingdom here and now. Love becomes more than a rule to follow; it becomes a way of life, a mirror of God’s own heart beating within ours.
May we learn each day to love as Jesus loved — freely, humbly, and without limit.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
