Today Jesus reminds us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” And what are God’s commandments? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matt 22:37–39). On this second week of Domestic and Family Violence and Prevention Month, we reflect on what it means to truly love.

In Australia in 2023–2024, a woman died every 8 days at the hands of their partner. The scourge of domestic and family violence all too profoundly reveals the horror when something that began with love, has turned to horror. Against this backdrop, the call to love is deeply necessary, and deeply practical.

The Gospel (Jn 14:15–21), which is taken from the farewell speeches of Jesus during his last supper with his disciples invites us to love him and to keep his commandments. He promised to send us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth which will be with us and help us on our faith journey. This Holy Spirit ensures that we are not left as orphans in our faith journey and in our daily struggles, because the Spirit always remains with us and inspires us and gives us courage when the going gets tough.

We see in the life of the disciples of Jesus that before the day of Pentecost, they were timid, bereft of courage, but once filled by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost day, they realised, as St Paul said, that it was no longer they who lived, but Christ living in them (Gal 2:20). It was through the power of the Holy Spirit that Philip reached out to the Samaritans. It is also the Spirit which enables us to deepen our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour and to avoid acts of violence in families. This Spirit fills our hearts with hope when life becomes tough.

Let us keep on praying out-pouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost by participating in our Parish Pentecost Novena from 15th of May. In this Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month, let us pray for safety, peace and healing for all those who have been and continue to be hurt by domestic and family violence, both physically and emotionally. Let us pray that they will know Christ’s presence and that the Church would be active in walking with and supporting victim-survivors.

Let us pray for frontline workers and organisations like Centacare who work in this space, that they would be agents of change, drawing people out of the cycle of abuse and into a life of freedom. Against the contrast of failed human love, God’s love is patient; kind; not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

As we celebrate Mother’s Day, we salute our mothers. We congratulate them for their unflinching love and care of their families. Scripture underscored the unconditional love mothers have for their children and families when it rhetorically asked, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast, and have no compassion on the child she has borne?” (Is 49:15). We know that mothers, as souls of their families, willingly give the last drop of their blood for the good of their families.

Let us love like God loves. We wish all mothers more elbow grease! Happy Mother’s Day!