Love is Witness

May 22 Thursday of the 5th week of Easter: 

A thought for those who want to reveal the risen Jesus in their lifestyle.

Acts 15:7-21; Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 10; John 15:9-11

“God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit.” Acts 15:8

Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” What are his commandments?

Saint John Paul II tells us: "Following Christ is the essential and primordial foundation of Christian morality.... Jesus' way of acting and his words, his deeds and his precepts constitute the moral rule of Christian life" (Splendor of Truth, 19-20).

To “keep Christ’s commandments” means we never ask again just whether something is right or wrong, but whether it bears witness to Jesus Christ. Does it reflect express, make visible “Jesus' way of acting, his words and his deeds”? This is what it means to live out our baptismal anointing as prophets.

This is a commitment to continuing “conversion.” In real language, this means a commitment to constant change of lifestyle and behavior. The commitment to change says what we will do. The commitment to bear witness says how we will do it. What we will do is keep changing; how we will do it is by evaluating everything in our life and lifestyle in the light of how it makes visible the teaching and example of Jesus Christ

The commitment to keep changing gets us moving; the commitment to bear witness gives us direction. Together, they turn our lifestyle into prophetic witness.

PRAY: “Lord, act with me, act in me, act through me.”

PRACTICE: Keep making changes in your lifestyle.