A few weeks ago my Mom had eye surgery. It was pretty intensive stuff. Prior to surgery, she had lost 60% of the sight in her left eye. Gratefully, the surgery was successful. The recovery, however, has been difficult.
Since the surgery, my Mom has had to rely on others to help her with the simple, every day tasks. This has not been easy. My Mom likes to be in control and, even though she cannot see, she tries to tell you what to do and how to do it. And, I am one of those people on whom she relies.
There are times when I lose patience with my Mom and want nothing more than to walk away and let her do it on her own. There are times when helping her means that I am not able to do some of the things that I really want to do. It’s hard!
However, my motivation for helping my mother is love. I love my mother very much. It doesn’t mean that I don’t sometimes get angry or impatient with her. Nor does it mean that she never gets upset with me. Loving my mother means that I try to accept her as she is. I try to love her as I know that Jesus loves me.
So how does Jesus love me? What has Jesus taught me that love is?
Love is the willingness to stick by someone in the good times and the bad times. It means being willing to put your own needs to the side every once in a while so that you can help someone else. That is how Jesus loves us. Jesus did not have to accept the Cross. He could have saved himself. Instead, he decided to save us. That is what Easter Love is all about! It’s looking beyond our own wants and needs in order to see the needs of others.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that we must love one another as he has loved us. In that way, we will know that we are his disciples. He never said that it was easy to do! If we truly believe in the Gospel message then we must constantly strive to live the love of Christ.
When I become impatient with my mom or I once again sacrifice doing something I really want to do in order to help her, it is then that I understand what Easter Love is all about. Jesus taught me that – and so did my Mom. Happy Mother’s Day Moms!