He said it.  I heard it.  He meant it. 

My junior high aged grandson hopped out of my car, grabbed his backpack, and said, Love you, Mimi! I told him the same thing.  Directly from his heart to mine, his words wafted over me as he walked toward his friends, and I drove away. He had blessed me unconditionally and I whispered my first prayer of the day:  Thank you, God.

What is it about the word love?  Is there a more powerful, complex, mysterious, ancient, mystical, spiritual word? Why does it cause our heart to lurch and our spirit soar?  Or when it is misused or left unsaid, where do we take our lament?  Is it any surprise that Jesus used it over and over again as he instructed his disciples during the final days before his death?

Today’s gospel is tucked squarely in the middle of the chapters in John’s gospel called the Farewell Discourse (chapters 13 – 17) because here Jesus…prepares his disciples for his departure from them and offers a vision for their life in his absence…. At the heart of this vision is the community’s love for one another.   And the soul of the vision is our loving relationship with God and Jesus.

Jesus used the most powerful word in any language, love. He defined, described, and passed it on to us.  He did not use it in a superficial, sentimental way.  He wanted people to love with depth and passion and not count the cost.  He instructed his disciples passionately explaining that if they followed his teachings and loved one another they would demonstrate their love for him and one another. Love for one another is to be the identifying mark of the Christian community in the world.   He expects the same from us now.

An incredible example of how to live God’s love comes from the witness of Saint Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church.  We are graced today to celebrate her Memorial.   She lived God’s love by becoming …the protagonist of an intense activity of spiritual guidance for people from every walk of life:  nobles and politicians, artists and ordinary people, consecrated men and women and religious, including Pope Gregory XI.  She was incredibly courageous while experiencing great hardship for her beliefs.

Say it.  Mean it. Live it.  That is our command.  Love one another.