On this 6th Sunday of Easter all of the commandments are summed up for us in these words: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” This concept of love is then brought into further context by stating: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” We can thus conclude that love should become sacrificial.
If we desire to see sacrificial love most perfectly displayed to us we have no further to look then the Most Holy Trinity. It is here the God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit give entirely to one another without reservation. To the cross we can also look to see our Blessed Lord who lays down His life for us upon the cross.
As is mentioned in the Exhortation for a marriage: “And because these words involve such solemn obligations, it is most fitting that you rest the security of your wedded life upon the great principle of self-sacrifice. And so you begin your married life by the voluntary and complete surrender of your individual lives in the interest of that deeper and wider life which you are to have in common. Henceforth you will belong entirely to each other; you will be one in mind, one in heart, and one in affections. And whatever sacrifices you may hereafter be required to make to preserve this mutual life, always make them generously. Sacrifice is usually difficult and irksome. Only love can make it easy, and perfect love can make it a joy. We are willing to give in proportion as we love. And when love is perfect, the sacrifice is complete. God so loved the world that he gave His only-begotten Son, and the Son so loved us that He gave Himself for our salvation. “Greater love than this no man has, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Today we also celebrate Mother’s Day which should remind us of this sacrificial love. To be a mother is to say yes to the gift of life, it is to carry a child within the womb for 9 moths, it is to undergo the pain of childbirth, it is to undergo sleepless nights and taking care of the needs of one’s child. A mother loves her child more then she loves herself. The Blessed Mother shows this same outpouring of love towards her Son. She was present with Him when He endured His death upon the cross as was prophesied by Simeon, “A sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
The family as a whole must also learn to participate in this sacrificial love. To participate in sacrificial love is the only way for the family to become a holy Family which is modeled after the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The family must teach us to move outside of ourself and to care for another. It is in the family that parents learn to do without to provide for what is best for their children. It is within the family that all should see the need to place our attention upon Christ.
Sacrificial love is what leads to true happiness for it moves us outside of ourself in order that we may see the need of another. No matter where we find ourself may we see the need for Christ’s love and the need to share it with others. Whenever the commandments are broken we fail to love Christ, we to love our neighbor, and we fail to love ourself. It is only sacrificial love that will make straight the path for the Kingdom of Heaven.
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