In today’s Gospel, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). At first, that can sound like a condition, almost a test. But listen closely: it is not a demand; it is a description. Love, when it is real, naturally expresses itself in action.

Think of this: Love reshapes desire. It moves from “I have to” to “I want to.” This is what Jesus is inviting us into: Love is not mere rule-keeping, but a relationship that transforms the heart.

Jesus knows we cannot do this alone. So, He promises us, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate… the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16–17). The Christian life is not a solo effort powered by willpower; it is a life animated by the Holy Spirit. God does not just give commands, He gives Himself.

Saint Peter echoes this in the second reading: “Always be ready to give an explanation… for your hope” (1 Peter 3:15). I want us to notice that he does not say “arguments,” but hope. People will never be convinced by logic but will be invited by a life that radiates something deeper: Peace in trial, Patience in suffering, Quiet joy in ordinary days.

So, the question becomes: do people see this hope in us? The beautiful truth is that hope is not something we manufacture, it is Someone we receive. Similarly, each Holy Eucharist is not just a ritual; It is an encounter with Jesus. The risen Christ comes to dwell in us, fulfilling His promise: “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14:20).

At this altar, love becomes tangible. The One who commands love feeds us with His own life, so that we can love as He loves.

And so, we come, not because we have perfected love, but as those being drawn, week by week, into the life of Divine Love.

Your Priest,

Father Charles Enyinnia