Freedom and Love

This weekend we pray for the gift of true freedom and we hear the command of Jesus to love one another as He loves us. Both “freedom” and “love” are frequently used words in our society and are given many different meanings and interpretations. Many people pursue the enticing and illusory counterfeits to true freedom and love and find themselves betrayed and empty. As the Good Shepherd, Christ has come to give us true freedom and life in its fullness. We see in His life a model of true freedom and love. In the Gospel of John what we hear today follows the washing of feet at the Last Supper. Jesus acts not on the basis of his own feelings but on the basis of faithfulness to His mission and care for the genuine good of the people whom He encounters. His feelings are certainly present, but they do not direct or control Him. This is part of what true freedom, inner freedom, entails. His feelings of like or dislike toward people do not determine or direct His actions. This is part of what genuine love entails. During these weeks of the Easter Season the Church invites us to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, receive it anew with our minds and hearts, and respond by following Him to our promised inheritance of true freedom and love.