If 

   “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15: 14) 

   I cannot be a friend of Jesus unless I do what He has commanded me.  The “if” in His statement puts the responsibility on me to become His friend by doing what He asks of me.  He wants to be my friend and will be “if” I will do what He commands.

   And what does He command?  “This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you?” (John 15: 12).  Sounds simple but it is not.  When I consider the love He is asking of me it is far above the love we normally experience in this life.  His love is a total love, a self-giving love that cares only for the well-being of the loved one.

   I can go to Mass every day of my life but if I don’t follow His command I am not a friend of Jesus.  This means that I must love not only those I find to be lovable but also those I would prefer to hate.  There is no place for hate in the love of Jesus.  I may abhor the sins or the actions of some, but I must never hate them as a person.

   Like most everyone I find it hard not to despise those who commit heinous sins.  I find it tempting to hate the doctor who makes his living by destroying innocent life in the womb.  It’s easy to consider hating a child molester or one who abuses children or spouses.  Yet, Jesus insists that I love them.

   This is only possible if I can look past their actions and see Jesus within them.  They may not be aware of it, and they may deny it, but Jesus is there in all of us.  This is how I can love the sinner while hating the sin.  The sin is reprehensible, but the sinner is a child of God.  I am called to love them and pray for them in the hope that somehow they will come to recognize Jesus within them and turn to Him.

   It seems to me that all scripture, all commandments, and salvation itself rests upon the command to love one another.  If I can do that, all else will fall in place.