13 November 2020

But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning, let us love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment just as you have heard it from the beginning—you must walk in it.
2 John 4-9, NRSV

The commandment to love one another is rooted deep in Jewish history and was repeated by Jesus – and here again, by John. We might wonder why those three words have had to be repeated to often. It is simple – it is clear – it is memorable – but it is clear from the constant repetition that people do not find it easy to follow. Somehow, following the ten commandments can feel easier then making those three words the base on which we build our lives.

• • Why might John have felt the need to repeat words that Jesus had spoken so often?
  • Why do we find it hard to live by those three words? 

Pray today for the grace to take those three words to heart and to live by them.