6 May, Thursday – The Father’s Love

Thursday of the 5th Week of Eastertide

Acts 15:7-21
Jn 15:9-11

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you

6 years ago, during Mission Week, which was held a week before World Youth Day, I was placed in a foster home with a family of 2 parents and their 2 teenage children. The foster parents did not speak English at all and we communicated with help from their family friend and their children. On our last night at their home, we went out for a grand meal — we had wine and had some really nice Brazilian pizza with friends of our foster parents. While at the restaurant, my foster father gently reached for me and was stroking my hair just as he would have done to his daughter. It was a simple gesture that reminded me of his love for me as a father. After staying a week in their home and being cared for like their own child, I was convinced of their love for me. And that simple act of stroking my hair was another expression of his gentle fatherliness.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us that He loves us as much as the Father loves Him and I can imagine that any love shared between human beings cannot come close to the love that Jesus has for us. And because He is offering us this perfect love as our Father, He also teaches us that in order to be part of this love relationship, we need to keep his commandments. All this while also assuring us that it is possible to do so because He has been faithful to these same commandments. Today, He reminds us of His great love and how we can make it last, because He knows that it gives us great joy to know that we are part of a perfect union with Him.

Today, let us spend some quiet time before the Lord to recount the ways in which we feel loved by Him. Let us surrender the areas in our lives which need to be restored. Let us allow Him to love us in His terms and let us receive His abundant joy and share it with everyone we encounter today.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Josephine Dionisappu)

Prayer: Abba Father, use us as your instruments to proclaim your name to all nations. Let us sing for joy of your wondrous works today and all of our days. Forgive us for the times we failed to share you with others.

Thanksgiving: We proclaim your marvellous deeds and tell of your mighty deeds, our Lord and Father.