Each of us has been called by God for a specific purpose: he has a plan for us. Yet the Lord Jesus will not force us to do what we should do. We have the God-given gift of free will. We can joyfully accept the challenge, or we can begrudgingly do what is asked of us, or we can freely choose to refuse to do what God desires. How much more blessed we will be if we accept God’s will and love those whom God has entrusted to our care.
In his second letter, St. John focuses on those who keep the great commandment of loving one another. This flows from believing in the Lord Jesus and living according to His commandment, “Love one another as I have loved you.” John cautions there will be some “progressive” teachers who do not recognize Jesus and His teaching. They proclaim an altered message which focuses more on knowledge than loving actions.
In the Gospel, Jesus recalls how there were both good and evil persons at the times of Noah and Lot. The good were saved by God, the evil faced the judgment of God. Those who desired to be in relationship with God, living a life of faith, will experience salvation. Those who have not obeyed the commandment of God will experience the just judgement of God who is always willing to love and forgive. Some people show by their actions that they want nothing to do with God’s love. Their decision not to love will cause them to be loveless for ever.
The time will come when each of us will have to give an answer on how we used the gift of love which God offers. If we have shared it with others, we will be blessed with an even more abundant amount of love – love that will never end. Jesus gave an example of love, particularly on the days before he died. While at the Last Supper, Jesus, the Master, stood up from the table, wrapped a towel around His waist and took on the position of the servant. He washed the feet of His disciples. After returning to His place at the table, He said, “You call me Lord and Master, and that is what I am. But if I, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, then you must do as I have done. . .You must love one another as I have loved you.”
It was the next day that He gave an even more dramatic demonstration of His love when He laid down His life for His followers. He said the night before, “No greater love does anyone have than being willing to lay down one’s life for another” The choice is ours. We can freely choose love, or we can choose to be unloving. God will respect our choice and allow us to experience that love, or lack of it, for all eternity.