Once a Jew was arguing with a Christian. “Your whole religion is based on ours,” the Jew said. “Why, you even took the 10 commandments from us.”

“We may have taken them,” said the Christian, “but you certainly can't say we've kept them.”

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In this 6th Easter Sunday, Christ teaches that what’s crucial is not just possessing or knowing the commandments but obeying them.

The Lord says, “Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one who loves me” (Jn 14,23).

But many of us go to Sunday Mass because failure to do so means committing a mortal sin, and if we die, we will go to hell. We obey God’s commandments out of fear of punishment.

There are different ways we view God’s commandments. We can look on them as a burden or restriction to our freedom.

Take, for instance, God’s command of being faithful to one’s spouse. Some men feel restricted of their freedom to enjoy the company of other women. Infidelity, however, can cause deep hurt, bitter quarrels and, worst, broken families.

Or, if government officials relentlessly steal from the coffers of the government, then our country will fall into financial perdition.

Finally, we can look upon Jesus’ command as an invitation to love. I recall how a brother of mine would resent being ordered around by our parents. But years later, when he had a girlfriend who told him to do things that were difficult and inconvenient, he would follow—all because of love!

There’s something we have to bear in mind. While the Lord wants us to follow his commands with the best we can, we cannot do it because everyone is weak and imperfect.

But Christ is saying that after even the most grievous of mistakes or the most degrading of sins, God is always waiting for us and, with open arms, will take us back. This is what the lesson of the Prodigal Son means.

And the late Pope Francis said: “God never gets tired of forgiving us. It is we who get tired of asking forgiveness from Him.”

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Ask yourself: Why do I obey Jesus’ commandments? Do I do it out of fear of punishment? Or, do I do it out of love that seeks the good of the church, the community, and society?

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Thoughts to ponder. If you want your dreams to come true, don’t oversleep.

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Often when we lose hope and think this is the “end,” God smiles from above and says, “Relax; it's just a bend, not the end!”

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We don’t change God’s message; His message changes us.

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Appeal. Seminarians are our future priests, missionaries and bishops. We cannot have them if there are no seminarians because all priests and bishops start as seminarians.

Let’s support them. Share an amount or sponsor a seminarian’s schooling for one year. (Email: [email protected])