Love’s Obedience: Our Mission to the World
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
1 John 5:1-5
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Grace Prayed For
The grace to joyfully embrace obedience not as a burdensome duty, but as the natural, freeing, and life-giving fruit of our intimacy with God.
Reflection
This passage from 1 John strips our faith down to its beautiful, essential core. It all begins not with what we do, but with who we are. If we believe in Jesus, we are “begotten by God.” This is the language of family, of shared life, of profound intimacy. We are not just followers; we are children. We share in the very life of the Trinitarian God.
And this intimacy, this love for the Father, immediately bears fruit. John tells us it’s impossible to love the Father and not love the children He has also begotten. Our vertical relationship with God is proven by our horizontal relationships with each other. This is the heart of our mission to “share and receive in all of our encounters.” Every person we meet is an opportunity to love “the one begotten by him.”
How do we know this love is real? John is practical: Obedience. “For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments.” In our modern world, “obedience” can sound like a restriction of freedom. But in the logic of the Trinity, obedience is simply the language of love. The Son perfectly obeys the Father, not out of servile fear, but out of perfect, intimate love.
This is why John can boldly say, “And his commandments are not burdensome.” They are not heavy, external rules. They are the natural, joyful, life-giving fruit of intimacy. When we are truly close to God, loving our neighbor is not a chore; it is the instinctive response of a heart filled with His love.
This love-fueled obedience is our mission. It is the “victory that conquers the world.” We don’t conquer with power or argument, but with faith. Our faith—that radical belief that we are children of God—allows us to love when the world chooses to hate, to share when the world chooses to hoard, and to receive the other with dignity when the world chooses to dismiss. Every encounter where we choose to love in obedience to the Father is a moment where Christ’s victory shines forth, restoring a small piece of creation.
Daily Evangelization and Baptismal Mission
Fulfilling Your Mission
Here are a few ways to evangelize in your daily life, proclaiming the Gospel by sharing the impact of Jesus’s love:
- Practice Active Listening: In every encounter, make a conscious effort to “receive” the other person. Ask a follow-up question. Put your phone away. Let them know they are seen and heard. This selfless attention is a powerful, silent witness to the God who sees and hears us.
- Reframe Your Daily “Commands”: See your daily responsibilities—your work, your chores, your family obligations—as the primary “commandments” through which you show love to God. When you do them with patience, diligence, and kindness, you are a living Gospel.
- Share Your “Why”: When you experience peace in a difficult situation or joy in a simple moment, don’t be afraid to share why. A simple, “I’m just so grateful for what Jesus has done in my life” or “My faith really anchors me” is a profound act of evangelization. It connects your inner intimacy with Christ to your outward, observable life, inviting others to wonder about the source of your hope.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post