We all have family members, teachers, or close friends that we looked up to and would do anything for. Our parents, for example, may have taught us how to live a Godly life. A mentor may have taken us under their wing and taught us how to navigate through the hectic world of business. We may have had a teacher who showed us tremendous patience and perseverance. There might have been a close friend who helped us through very difficult times. None of us have been without these life examples. Then, as we continue on through life, we fall back on the examples we’ve been given many times over. That should put us in the proper frame of mind to accept today’s Gospel. Jesus says to His disciples: “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” We loved our parents, our mentor, our teacher, or our friend and, because of that love, we wanted to emulate their example—said another way, “keep their commandments.” The same may be said of the relationship between Jesus and us. It is because we love Jesus that we want to keep His commandments and want to pass on what we have been taught to others. That’s discipleship in action. We never lived in Jesus’ time. We never experienced His teachings in person. Yet, we believe He was born, gave us a perfect example of how to live during His public ministry, and suffered death for our sake. But even death does not break this relationship, for whenever we are about to do something important, we remember what we have been taught. Then the spirit of the one who taught us rises in our heart. We love Jesus and so we receive His commandments and keep them— all for love.
That’s the message of today’s Gospel. Jesus calls His disciples to walk in His way of love through obedience to the will of the Father. True love is more than sentiment or good intentions. As important as these may be, they are not the proof of love. True love for God is expressed in obedience, and obedience is expressed in love. Jesus promised to give His followers (and that’s us) the best of gifts: the Holy Spirit as Counselor and Helper to bring us safely through the challenges and adversities we must face in this life. The Holy Spirit is also the Giver of life – the life of God – and the Spirit is the One who guides us along the way. We can never stop learning because the Spirit leads us more and more into the knowledge of God’s love.
Jesus also promised His followers the gift of peace. Peace is more than the absence of conflict or trouble. Peace includes everything that leads us to good. So, trust in God, have faith in His promises, and obey His word and that will lead us to peace and safety in God’s presence. That is why a Christian need not fear or be troubled by anything.