Mind the Gap. When you go to London, particularly on the London underground trains, there is a warning that comes on over the microphone, Mind the Gap. Here, train passengers are warned to be careful while stepping over the gap between the train and station platform. I want to relate that to our life as Christians or followers of Jesus. Mind the gap can also be an invitation for us to pay attention to the space between where we are standing and where we want to go. That means making choices that are aligned with our values as Christians, so that we are not disconnected or disengaged from where we are, who we are and what we want to become as true Christians.
In the Gospel today, Jesus emphasizes that true love for Him is shown by keeping his commandments.
Those who do so will be loved by the father and will experience his presence in a personal and intimate way. Anything outside this frame of mind would make us tumble into the gap.
We all know Love relates to feelings and emotions, but the love Jesus is offering to us goes beyond that, to a certain way of life. Jesus says; If anyone loves me, they will keep my word. In otherwards, Jesus is telling his disciples that love is not merely an emotion but an active commitment to live according to God’s will. Those who love Jesus cannot be disconnected or disengaged from God’s will.
All of us are children of God and we wish to become enveloped in living out Jesus’ teaching to the fullest. So, when we love Jesus and keep his word, we will experience His presence, as He and the Father will make their home with us. We show our love for Jesus by keeping his word and his word calls us to love one another as he loved us. We cannot claim to love Jesus, if we are stuck in hatred, jealousy, self-centeredness, deceit, certainly these mark a disconnect or disengagement with the love that Jesus envisions for real relationship with God, the way of life that we have to embody as believers.
Keeping the Lord’s word is not just down to our own efforts alone. We will need the help of the Holy Spirit, or the Advocate, to remind us of all Jesus has said to us, to act as a continual source of wisdom and understanding helping and empowering us to apply Jesus’ teachings in daily life.
Minding the gap requires us to:
·examine our love for God by reflecting on how faithfully we follow the commandments.
welcome Jesus into our lives and creating space for Him to dwell in us, and relying on the Holy Spirit for guidance, direction, and wisdom as we listen, reflect, ponder and contemplate on the word of God. It is the Holy Spirit who keeps leading us to a deeper appreciation of Jesus and to a closer following of him.
As we pray with the Word, as we reflect on the humility, the meekness, the sensitivity, the loving concern of Jesus as portrayed by his word, a transformation is wrought in us, and we become one with Jesus.