Daily Reflection Friday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

In the first reading today, John advises a “chosen lady” on how to love one another and remain valiant against deceivers. We know little about this woman—many suggest she was a leader who followed Jesus or the Church herself—but John’s message is clear: Follow Jesus’s commandment to love one another, and avoid the voices of the world that say otherwise. Even though John is addressing a chosen lady, there is much for us to gain in reading this letter as well.

With tumultuous political tensions, growing wealth gaps, and the highest marginalization of the voiceless we’ve ever seen, Jesus is calling us to love one another more than ever. John implies in his letter that this task is not easy, as forces often rise up desiring to prove us wrong; these forces will even convert the hearts of our loved ones. Sometimes, it feels like the most tragic thing in the world when a loved one disagrees with us on such a fundamental principle! But in Luke 14:33, Jesus calls us to “leave everything you have,” including our brothers and sisters, to follow Him. That doesn’t necessarily mean to stop communication with them; rather, it means to follow Jesus and love others despite what they think of us.

On this Friday, the weekday of Jesus’s death, let us remember active forces desire for us to fall away from God. This is not meant to discourage us but meant to validate our efforts; making Jesus the center of our lives is difficult. Remember, many thought (and still think) Jesus’s death meant His ministry was a failure. But He rose from the dead, proving He is the Son of God. He knows being a disciple is not easy, but that’s why the reward is so great.