Real men don’t cry “So they say”
May 13, 2025
Thursday May 15th: Trust in God
May 15, 2025
“This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.”
John 15:9-17
This passage focuses on Jesus’ farewell speech to his friends, hours before his death. His mission was to show us how to love – his one commandment. Love for him was about laying down one’s life for another. It was not about treating people as servants but inviting them into intimacy as friends. It was about being with others even in their darkest moments.
Every Holy Thursday, Pope Francis would wash the feet of prisoners from various Italian prisons, without prejudice or judgment. He said he liked to do what Jesus did on Holy Thursday, wash the feet of those in prison, a symbol of service and love. Ailing and close to death, on Holy Thursday this year, he insisted on visiting a prison nearby. Unfortunately, he could not wash the prisoners’ feet but blessed them individually, saying weakly: “This year I can’t do it, but I can and do want to be close to you.” Pope Francis stands as an example to all of what it means to “love one another.”
Father, grant us the openness of heart to love others as we have been loved. Amen
