An Invitation in Divisive Times to Embrace a Different Love
‘I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also are to love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples - if you have love for one another’ (John 13:34-35)
Jesus’ command to ‘love one another’ is not new, but here he gives it a radical standard: to love as he loves—selflessly, sacrificially, and for the good of others. On the night before his crucifixion, he calls his disciples, and us, to a love that moves beyond fear, beyond ego, beyond comfort, and beyond self-interest toward the Common Good.
The Greek word allelous (‘one another’) comes from allos, meaning ‘different.’ This reveals a profound truth: the mark of discipleship is love for those who are different. In a world divided by culture, belief, and identity, Christ’s call remains more urgent than ever. His inclusive love embraces strangers, immigrants, the weak and most vulnerable, and even those with whom we disagree. Such love asks for sacrifice—setting aside our own agendas and perspectives to truly pause and listen to the other with compassion.
Spiritual and emotional healing is often seen as an individual pursuit, yet Jesus’ command cannot be lived alone. We need one another, especially those unlike us. We are healed together, through the vulnerability of community. We are called to cultivate community wherever we are.
In this Easter season, in whatever circumstances in which you live, we invite you to pray and act with us - to share with us in a spirit of contemplation in action. As Daughters of the Heart of Mary, we seek to respond with compassion to the suffering of our world, recognizing our deep interconnectedness. We strive to cultivate nonviolence, protect life, and work with others to build a more just and humane world that honors the dignity and rights of all.
With gratitude for creation as God’s gift, we are called to an ecological conversion, safeguarding the earth rather than exploiting it. Open to difference, we seek communion through ecumenical, interreligious, and intercultural dialogue. Attentive to the signs of the times, we commit ourselves to live as contemplatives in action amid the multiplicity of today’s divisive realities. May our actions be seeds that bring forth and bear Spirit’s fruits for the good of all.
May the Risen Christ fill your heart with hope and peace. He is risen! Alleluia!
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