REFLECTION:

Think back to our first experience of love: our parents, or the people who raised us. When we were young, we probably didn’t notice all the sacrifices they made. The long hours of work. The sleepless nights. The money they could have spent on themselves but used for us instead. The rides, the meals, the patience, the forgiveness, the constant worrying. They didn’t do these things because it was easy. They did them because they loved us.

And how did we know they loved us? Not because they said it every day, but because they showed it in what they did.

That’s exactly the point Saint John is making when he says: “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.” In real life, love is not just a feeling. It becomes commitment. It becomes sacrifice. It becomes choices.

We often think of commandments as rules that limit our freedom. But think again about our parents. Their “rules” were not there to control us — they were there to protect us, to help us grow, to teach us how to live well. In the same way, God’s commandments are not about control. They are about love that knows what leads to life.

So how is following God’s commandments actually loving Him? Because every commandment teaches us how to love better. When we choose honesty, we protect trust. When we choose faithfulness, we protect relationships. When we choose forgiveness, we protect our own hearts from becoming hard. When we choose respect, we protect the dignity of others. Obedience, in this sense, is not about fear — it’s about trusting the One who loves us.

And how do we live this in daily life? It’s very concrete. It’s choosing to do what is right when it would be easier to do what is convenient. It’s being faithful when no one is watching. It’s speaking with kindness instead of sarcasm. It’s forgiving when you’d rather stay bitter. It’s making time for prayer even when your schedule is full. These small, hidden choices are where love becomes real.

Just like with our parents, we don’t prove love with words alone. We prove it by how we live. Saint John’s message is simple and challenging: if we want to know whether our love for God is real, we don’t look at what we say — we look at the choices we make.



In the end, following God’s commandments is not about being perfect. It’s about learning, day by day, how to love the way we have first been loved.