By Jonathan Camiolo –
When I was watching the Passion of the Christ movie in theatre when it first came out, there was a scene that I remembered when I left that could have easily been missed. There is a part when Jesus is carrying the cross and His mother Mary is watching Him and moving through the crowds. She is noticeably upset as she watches her “baby” now a man beaten and bloodied. Jesus falls and Mary, His mother, runs to Him. At that moment in the movie, there is a flashback to Jesus being a little boy and Mary runs to pick Him up and hold Him.
In the flashback, she is comforting her son. Jesus was like any other young boy that cried as He fell and hurt Himself. Mary’s instincts as a mom kicked in when Jesus was a little boy and now that He is a 33 year-old man she responds the same way. She runs to Jesus, her baby, and wants to comfort Him. The scene comes to a climax as Jesus looks into the eyes of Mary and He says to her, “See I make all things new”. Then with all of His human strength, He stands up to continue carrying His cross.
In the second reading from the book of Revelation, we read that same line, “Behold, I make all things new.” This line hits me every time I hear it or read it. That scene from the movie always comes to mind. Jesus came so that the whole world and those who live in it would be new – the way we think, the way we act, the way we look at things, the way we treat one another. There has never been anyone before Jesus, or will there ever be, that has turned the world upside down and left everything so changed and renewed.
In the gospel we read about one of the things Jesus left us that is new. He said to His disciples at the last supper, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” He was calling His disciples to live in a selfless way, putting others needs ahead of their own. He had just showed them to serve others by washing their feet. He challenged them to be examples of how to love those around them.
So what does it mean to love as Jesus loves us? Take a look at the crucifix. Now take another look. Jesus did that for you and me. He asks us to do that for each other – for our families, our friends, our classmates, the poor, the sick, the suffering, the lonely, the hopeless, the old, the young and the disabled. He calls each of us to love in a way that goes to the point of being a sacrifice, that it hurts, that it is inconvenient and uncomfortable. We are going to get laughed at, abandoned, spit on and beaten up if we love like Jesus did. But if we do, we can make the world new too. We can change the world by our love. If we love like Jesus did, giving everything He had for love of us, then people will see us and know there is something different about us. They will know we are Christians, followers of Christ. Let’s get loving!!!
