EpiscoGrrl on Nostr: On October 28 the #EpiscopalChurch celebrates the feast of St. Simon & St. Jude, two ...

On October 28 the #EpiscopalChurch celebrates the feast of St. Simon & St. Jude, two of less well-known apostles of #Jesus Today’s #Gospel is John 15:17-27 & the verse that stands out to me is the very first one: “I give you these commands so that you may love one another.”

Love one another. It sounds so simple, yet it is complicated & difficult to do. Scripture offers us guidance that is often contradictory, or seems to be at cross purposes. Love can be that way too as anyone who has a sibling, parent, or child knows. Perhaps that is why this passage was chosen for the lesson on the feast of the patron saint of lost causes. Loving one another feels impossible. If, however, we put our faith in #God we know that it is not impossible. We just haven’t figured out how to do it. I think the key is in embracing the complexities & contradictions, in knowing that we aren’t all alike nor do we always agree, & understanding that despite our differences we are all God’s children & family.