Every one of us has a mission to fulfil. In union with the Lord, we find an answer to why we are here.

Before sending the twelve out, after years of preparation, Jesus gives them a new commandment: “Love one another (Jn. 15:12). As I have loved you, so you must love one another; then all will know that you are my disciple. (Jn. 13:34-35)

In Luke 9:1-6, we have an account of the sending out of the twelve on a mission. One can imagine the mixed feelings the apostles may have had when their master told them he would send them on a mission without accompanying them physically. Up to this point in the gospel of Luke, they had seen Jesus proclaiming the message of the Kingdom, casting out evil Spirits and healing the sick. Now it was their turn to put into practice what they had been taught.

The twelve did not call themselves for a mission; it was the Lord who called, and they responded. We too did the same as the Prophet Isaiah in 6:8, “Here I am, Lord, send me.”

Each one of us must continue to first discern the call of God in prayer and arrive at a personal conviction of one’s vocation. The Lord never sends anyone on a mission without adequately equipping the person. The 12 consonants with the word “apostle” were sent. When a person sends you, you go out and carry out the mandate of the sender and not what you think should be done. We are here on earth to do not our will but the will of the one who has sent us.

As followers of Christ, we have been called and have received power and authority beyond measure. We shall be a manifestation of this power when we put our trust in God, step out in faith in our neighbours, workplaces and wherever we find ourselves and proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom.

The most important words in this commandment seem to be “AS I”. We are not just asked to love but are told the kind of love we should have; the way we should love is determined by the kind of love Jesus had and by the way he loves us. Christian love must take its measure from Jesus’ love, from his “As I have loved you”. What kind of love is this? The love is characterised by two basic principles. It is universal; it is compassionate.

These two will always have to remain the point of reference of the questions as to how we should love each other and all human beings.

Jesus' love for humanity is universal, devoid of any malice. In Mat. 15:26, Jesus replied the non-Jewish woman, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs…(the dogs eats what falls from the table. Hearing these words, Jesus gave in to the demands of the woman. Mat. 8:8 the Centurion’s encounter with Jesus……I am not worthy that you should come under my roof….

Constructing a road map for liberation and survival, Jesus shows the everlasting love of God that knows no bound in the healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter or the healing of the Centurion’s slave. Belonging to Christ and to the new people of God does not depend upon blood relationship, race, or culture but upon faith in the risen Christ. Jesus makes exceptions in favour of the poor, the humble and those who believe in him. It is sad to say that this evil is creeping its ugly head into the church.

Today, it is clear that many of us pay more attention to rich and well-to-do families and are ready to do anything for them at anytime they call on us to the detriment of poor families. (weddings, funerals, baptisms).

Like the prophet Habakkuk in 1:12-24, the church is crying to God for allowing injustice making people to lose faith in him. Our love for one another should be based on the love Jesus has for us.

Generally speaking, many of us believe that we are compassionate people, i.e., people who are easily moved by compassion when we see misery and suffering. Is that true? Compassion means literally to “suffer with”. We are asked to go where it hurts, to enter the place where people suffer and experience their pain and anguish. We are asked to weep with them, to be vulnerable with them and to be powerless with them.

If we look at our daily life, we will quickly realise that it is not compassion that rules this world but competition. (car, modern gadgets, among others). From our childhood we were told to be different, to compete, to make it to the top, to get ahead, and to be first. We are encouraged to conquer life, to create our own identity, and so for many, the primary frame of reference in life remains competition, not compassion.

We have to realise that Jesus’ call to his followers to be compassionate goes against our grain; it means a real letting go of ingrained attitudes. Nobody can respond to it except through a total conversion of heart and mind.

We have to perceive it as a gift that we receive only in the measure that we let the kingdom and its power into our lives. It is not a purely human virtue but rather a gift from God.

The compassion of God has been revealed in Christ’s life and death. All the miracles Jesus did were done out of compassion. Twelve times do we find the word “compassion” in the gospels used exclusively for Jesus and the Father.

 Mt. 18:23-25 (wicked servant) Lk. 15:11-32 (the Lost Son), Lk. 10:30-35 (the Good Samaritan) – whenever Jesus saw suffering people, he was shaken and moved. He felt the death of their sorrow. He felt it even more deeply than they could.

Listening to Jesus means transforming our lives and changing our ways. It means living according to the Word of God we hear every day, walking with God, and trusting him no matter what our circumstances may be.