November 12, St. Josaphat

Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord! — Psalm 119:1 

Mass reading: 2 John 4-9 / Luke 17:26-37 

Walk in the Truth 

When I sang in my parish folk group back in the 1970s, one of our standards was a song called “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.” To this day, every time I hear a Scripture reading about the “new” commandment — to love one another as God has loved us — I can’t help but think of that song. 

It may seem corny, but the truth is that the lyrics echo what John is saying in today’s first reading: People will recognize us as followers of Jesus if we love one another as He taught us. Our identity as Christians isn’t something we put on like a badge or uniform but something we do, something we are. Maybe that old song was a folk-group favorite for good reason. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to love as You love — without limits or conditions.