"Love one another as I have loved you." The theme running through today's readings is Love - God's unconditional love for us - love that has no favourites but embraces peoples everywhere. All love has its roots in God, and God loves us so much that He sent His only Son into the world so that we could have life through Him. He was the sacrifice to take away our sins - the One who laid down His life for us. Such was God's great love for us. Jesus asks us to love one another as He has loved us.

We love Him if we keep His commandments, and this is the greatest commandment "Love one another." He calls us friends and shares with us His relationship with His Father. Just as the Father has chosen Him, so Jesus has chosen us and shared with us His mission - to make the Father's love known to the ends of the earth.

To love as Jesus loved can be costly. It can mean giving our time, putting ourselves out for someone in need, giving of our resources, perhaps just being present to someone who needs a listening ear.