This section continues the theme of union with Christ begun in last week’s Gospel. Here Jesus draws out the implications of "living in him" (vv 4-7).

The most profound spiritual activity is love, which seeks full union with the beloved. And if love is true, the lover becomes transformed into the beloved in a way that it is true in some sense to say they are no longer two but one. The test of love is obedience. Love leads a person to sacrifice a personal point of view and put oneself confidently into the will of the other — not in fear or abject submission, nor to calculate a certain benefit, but simply to adapt oneself to the contour of the other. Jesus himself has done this, conforming himself as the Son of God to us by becoming a man, and as a human being, conforming himself to the will of the Father. He now commands that we do this with one another.

Love brings forth joy. In the midst of pain and obstacles, love rises above self-love and self-pity. Love can be joyful only when it is fully free. A forced sacrifice or submission is no sacrifice or gift at all.

This passage is a brief condensation of what is told in the whole of chapter ten — read it all. This incident of Cornelius’ conversion marks a turning point in the attitude of the early Christian community. God himself demonstrates that he is not partial to any "chosen few." By his gift of the Spirit independent of the decision of the apostles, he forces them to recognize in act (rather than merely in theory) the basic equality of all peoples in the face of God’s love and call.

The best of Jewish Scriptural tradition, reflected in these psalm verses, recognized that God’s love is universal, and that he chose a particular people in order to make possible his salvation for all peoples. Response: "The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power."

God’s love is not something we can earn or deserve. God’s love is ours as the starting point: he has loved us first overwhelmingly. Thus our motive for loving one another is not to hope to gain God’s favor. We love because he has already loved us without our meriting it and without preconditions.

1. Christians are challenged to tear down walls of division and build bridges of understanding. How in practice can we do this without compromising our principles? What principles?

2. What do the ways of building and maintaining human friendships tell us about living our friendship with Christ?