“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35 NIV
Love Each Other
Over eight million family caregivers impact the lives of Canadians every day. They provide care and support to loved ones, family members and friends; and contribute over $25 billion in unpaid care every year. As our population ages and the number of individuals diagnosed with cancer and other chronic conditions increases, nearly every Canadian will take on a caring role for someone they love. For many, this additional responsibility will mean juggling work expectations, personal needs and their caring duties; often at the cost of their emotional, physical and financial well-being.
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Tertullian, one of the Fathers of the early Church lived in the midst of the pagan world, a world with little Christian witness, a world filled with violence and perversion, not unlike our own. In the midst of that world, he noticed that non-Christians would often say of the followers of Jesus, “See how they love each other.” We wake up each day afraid to check the news, fearful to hear that perhaps there was another mass killing, or the bombing of a playground or hospital, or school. If there was ever a time when we who follow Jesus need to heed the call of Jesus to love one another, it is now. John 13:34-35 quotes Jesus saying, “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” In a world filled with hate, in words and in actions, Christians are called to show the love of Jesus to those within and outside the family of God.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley