When I was 15 years-old and had a year of guitar lessons under my belt, I daydreamed – just about every day — about playing in a band, living the rock star dream that so many other aspiring musicians wish could come to fruition.
After all, it was 1988, and I was quickly turning into a metal head, thanks to my friend, Ray, who was already a veteran metal head and had introduced me to the flood of bands back then that spawned a now flourishing genre: Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Sepultura, Anthrax, …I had an insatiable need then to get a hold of any music with slick guitar riffs, chunky rhythms, and searing, ear spanking solos.
It just so happened that one of my neighbors, Eddy, a 30-something Hispanic gentleman with a cool beard and a Pontiac Fiero (a sports call that was all the rage in the mid to late 80’s) was a bass player for a local Catholic parish. Along with that, he had a spin-off, Christian music band that mixed originals with Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith cover songs.
I had not only dreamt of playing in a band, but I shared my dream with my father — who, although wasn’t in love with the idea of his son becoming a rock start (I fondly remember a few lectures that I would just end up a “druggie without a job”), knew that our neighbor was a bass player and figured that joining a Christian band could be a good compromise for my life choices.
And with that, my father arranged for me and my neighbor to sit and chat about music. And there I was, your standard, awkward, pimple-faced teenager chatting it up with a “real musician” about my dreams.
It just so happened that Eddy was looking for a replacement guitar player for the spin-off band – and because the guitar parts were relatively simple, it was an almost perfect starter gig for me. Even better that I didn’t have to audition for the gig (or that my father bribed Eddy into adding me to the band….kidding, of course).
Yet aside from landing my first big break (or at least what I considered a big break then), something else about Eddy grabbed my attention as well: On his living room wall, he had a rather large painting of Jesus crucified. The inscription at the bottom of the painting was a dialogue with Jesus:
“Jesus, how much do you love me?”
Jesus replied, “This much” – and then he stretched out his arms and died.
Right away, that image and inscription burned into my memory. As we know – and which is apparently a rather famous painting and also made into figurines displayed at Christian bookstores – Jesus’ answer refers to his dying and then rising for humanity, for our sin and eternal salvation.
Now, although the phrase “God is love” has been so widely expressed in many different art forms and spiritual guidebooks, it has become almost cliché or meme-like – it is no less true than when the phrase was first uttered. What’s more, sometimes the simplest, most catchy phrases can also be universally and timelessly powerful.
In this week’s Gospel, John 15: 9-17, Christ reminds us why love is at the root of our relationship with Him: When we genuinely love Christ, when we truly abide by his commandments, we are in accord with the Gospel, and with our salvation through Christ.
As we learned in John 15:1-8, the Gospel reading for last Sunday, May 2nd, Christ uses a rich metaphor that he is the *vine* and we are the branches. That is, through God’s grace and embracing His Gospel, we become well-pruned branches nourished by Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Strong branches, in turn, yield many fruits. Jesus confirms this in John 15:16 by proclaiming, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” This not only applied to the apostles – it applies to *all* of Christ’s disciples: When we allow Christ to nourish us with his Grace, we grow stronger and healthier in that Grace, from which we too can share the Gospel with our friends, family, and peers.
Which brings us to an important point, or challenge, to this idea: Some skeptics may ask, “Why do we need God to help build His kingdom?” Answer: It’s not that God “needs” us to make His kingdom a reality. Instead, He is a building a family relationship with us. And what do healthy families do together? They continually grow their relationship and keep it in check. Therefore, as morally responsible beings, it is our duty to form and sustain loving, authentic relationships with one another. And when we do, we are not only mirroring Christ’s love for us, but we fully understand His answer when we ask, “How much do you love me?”