ABIDE IN MY LOVE……….BE MY FRIEND by Joan Foo Mahony in Hong Kong
Smitten By Faith Issue # 00059 11th March 2023
I attended the ‘Way of the Cross’ last night in Hong Kong at a beautiful Catholic church in the centre of the bustling city. Sitting still and going deep into the penitential service, I watched the young Sunday school children ( with some effort ) carrying the heavy cross and giant candles through each of the fourteen stations and I am reminded of the awesomeness of Lent; the passion of Jesus Christ and how much Jesus loved us – by giving us the gift of his own life.
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
John 15:9-11
And who are the ‘we’ who love Jesus ; those whom He calls his ‘friends’ ?
“No longer do I call you servants, but I have called you friends."
John 15:15
St. John the Evangelist - 1610-1612 by Rubens, Peter Paul 1577-1640; Oil on panel ; Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain.
The favourite and beloved Apostle John the Evangelist wrote these words in John 15 about what Jesus Christ said at the ‘Last Supper’ shortly before he was to be tortured and crucified. How appropriate that it is from the Gospel of John that we hear Jesus declare his Covenant of Friendship - these precious, momentous; probably even earth-shattering words from Jesus calling us ( mere mortals) his ‘friends’ - described word for word by the very person who, as the best friend of Jesus, was able to articulate them with credibility and legitimacy.
In this Covenant of Friendship, we see Jesus extending to us the bond of friendship; not the servitude of servants. Of course, we struggle to understand. How can this be ? God – our maker and creator – more supreme than a mere earthly King asking us to be HIS friend ? What did Jesus mean? For sure, it is not a friendship among equals. This ‘friendship’ from Jesus is a deep and very precious spiritual camaraderie based on our love of God.
This ‘friendship’ must be also mutual. If Jesus gives us his unconditional, limitless and endless love, we too must love back; we too must give back . What can we give back ? Surely our commitment to all the teachings of Jesus; living a truly authentic Christian life, putting the needs of others first and of course to love one another – in this special bond of friendship.
Jesus said,
“ 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.”
John 13: 34-35
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
LOVE - is the heart of the Gospel. The love of God in sending His Son. The love of Jesus in dying on the cross for us – his friends. So, we are all HIS friends and today, I would like to write about Jesus’ most beloved friend, John the Evangelist.
JOHN THE EVANGELIST
St. John and Jesus at the Last Supper by Valentin de Boulogne (1591-1632)
( See Jesus comforting the distraught John )
Oil on Canvas, Galleria Nazionale d’arte, Antica di Palazzo Corsini
Crucifixion with the Virgin Mary, St John and St Mary Magdalene by Anthony van Dyck 16-17-19 as the high altarpiece for the Jesuit church in Berques. It is now in the Louvre Museum.
Jesus loved the Apostle John and it can be said that John was probably the best friend of Jesus. John is called “the one whom Jesus loved” no less than five times (See John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20). It was John standing desolate at the foot of the cross with Mary, his mother, to whom, while dying on the cross, Jesus committed his own mother to be cared for and it was to his mother that he asked her to take care of John as a son.
To Mary : Woman – here is your son.
To John : Here is your mother.
At Capernaum, John a fisherman together with his brother James were two of the earliest disciples to follow Jesus. While James was the first of the 12 Apostles to be put to death for preaching about Jesus, John was the last disciple to die at close to the 100th year of his life. He used his time on earth with courage and zeal spreading the word of God, bearing testimony to the life and death of Jesus Christ in his five books : The Gospels of John 1, 2 and 3 , the Letters of John and the Book of Revelations. John proved that like Jesus, his friendship with God - was as a friend who never failed.
Right : The tomb of John the Evangelist in Ephesus
Left : The Basilica of John in Ephesus
What happened to the Mother Mary after they left the tomb on Good Friday? Where did she go? We know that Mary was not alone in her deep sorrow. To comfort her, there were many women who had accompanied her throughout the ministry of Jesus and also throughout his Passion and on the road to Calvary. Most importantly, there was also John the Evangelist, the only one of Jesus’ Apostles who did not run away in fear but who in fact, remained with Mary and Jesus until the very end.
I would like to reproduce here excerpts from the commentary by one of Mary’s Millennials, GAETAN DE DIETRICHfrom the book ‘Millennials Meet Mary’ which I wrote about the life of the Virgin Mary with commentary on artworks from 80 Millennials around the world. In Chapter Ten, Gaetan, a French entrepreneur working on Asian greenfield ventures, a Catholic who loves Jesus writes about John embracing this huge responsibility of being the ‘friend’ and ‘brother’ of the Son of God. What Gaetan writes in ‘Millennials Meet Mary’ is inspiring and sincere - apropos this subject God embracing us in friendship and we loving Him back; cherishing this great love from God by restoring relatedness and care among all of us – Fratelli Tutti – brothers all. Thank you for your wise words dear Gaetan.
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EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK : MILLENNIALS MEET MARY
GAETAN DE DIETRICH; COMMENTARY ON THE CANO PAINTING OF JOHN THE EVANGELIST AND THE VIRGIN MARY
“Finding the words. The soul-wrenching thought of finding the words to appease a mother’s broken heart. Here they are, Jesus’s closest, their son, friend and messiah. He has decided that they shall be bound for life. United by his ultimate statement towards what love should be for humanity.
As a son, I am deeply moved by the thought of a mother left behind. Seeing John and Mary, turning to communion as they grieve, I cannot help but project myself into the Apostle’s mind. I can imagine the two broken souls, the dust of the day having settled, sitting in silence, crushed under the weight of having to live the rest of their lives without him. I can imagine the torment of a man who needs to be strong. Dazed by what his messiah has done, and what it means for the world, he sways gently, embracing his friend’s mother. His mind numbed by the pain, he wants to remember the moments with him and weeps. But when his eyes can see again and set upon Mary, he is transfigured. The thought of being bound to him for the rest of her life, embalms his heart and he smiles. He must protect her; he was entrusted with his brother’s most precious. He will be her rock. ‘We must pray’, he thinks, ‘we must talk to him, that will help’. He finds appeasement in the gestures of Communion; the waves of sorrow abate as he serves Mary in prayer. ‘Looking after your mother. Oh Lord, what you gave me. My chance to serve the miracle of life. Thank you, my Lord. Thank you for your sacrifice and for filling me with your love for her. Thank you for seeing your vision of the world through. You were right, there are no more powerful things than the feeling of love for another. Thank you, my Lord, thank you for what you have shown me with your very life. I shall look after her and carry your message to as many as I can.’
I hope I will never have to look after a mother that has lost a child. A tree carefully nurtured over years, brutally ripped out of somebody’s inner garden. They say there are no greater pains. All of this as she knew was coming - watching, in chosen helplessness, the powerful forces of ignorance take away her son.
……….Watching John tend to his mother’s friend we feel elevated. Thinking about the way he served, all thoughts of cynicism are wiped out, we feel we want to be less selfish and care for others. We need to cultivate this feeling. Jesus, Mary and John’s lives are examples for us to be reminded of the value of caring for others. And if suffering is needed in doing so, value it as the price for a transformation to a new level of human experience.”
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To end – remember that before ascending into Heaven Jesus boldly proclaimed, “I am with you always.” God did not want to leave us alone on earth; instead He gave us his covenant of friendship; He embraces us with his limitless love and He will walk side-by-side with us forever. What a great privilege we have – to be able to walk in friendship with God ! In this Lenten season of penance, I hope the article of friendship with Jesus will allow my readers to glimpse some of the tremendous joy that will follow very soon - at Easter !
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