John 15:9-14
I have often said that life is not always fair. You could have two people who go out drinking, both try to drive home drunk and one will make it safely home while the other will wind up killing an innocent family on the road and spend the rest of their days in jail. Both committed the same crime of driving drunk. Perhaps one was luckier than the other. Life isn't always fair.
The converse is also true. As Christians we try to live our lives the best we can, holding up Christ as our model, living and loving. Each day we wake up, we are given a new chance to love and say thank you. On most days we may wind up holding a door for someone, complimenting someone, listening to someone who is distraught or lonely and perhaps we may even volunteer our services or talents to those in need. Our holy lives are as varied as God's creation. We are not limited to being a minister or a monk, a teacher or doctor or all of the above. There are so many talents and gifts and so many different lives. Today the church remembers the Dorchester Chaplains. They answered their calls to to be ministers, Priest and Rabbi. They undoubtedly did all the good works and services they were called to do. On one given day tragedy struck and they were called to help their fellow man and all offered their lives for them. They set out the day doing their normal routine business of living and loving and ended their day by laying down those lives for their fellow man. Greater love hath no man indeed.
Perhaps that isn't fair either, they started out doing the simple task of living their ministry and wound up dying. We all have simple tasks to do. Loving seems so easy. Tell that to these chaplains, to Father Mychal Judge who gave his life on 9-11. Tell it to the missionaries who died of leprosy while they ministered to them. But one thing is for sure, they all lived and loved ordinary lives but loves of extreme holiness.
We may never be called directly to offer this supreme sacrifice but we are all called to love in whatever capacity we can, according to our gifts and talents. It does not matter one bit of you are straight, gay, black white, poor, rich, a woman or a man or somewhere in between. We are all called.
We are all offered the extraordinary new beginnings of each new day. It is an opportunity to live anew and love anew. Our offer to love can not be limited by the practicality of this world. When we love we are elevated to a life of holiness that transcends this world and in that loving act we experience a slice of heave here on earth.
As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.
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