Two brothers, Michael, age 6, and Joey, age 4, were waiting for breakfast on Saturday morning. As their mother prepared pancakes, the boys began to argue over who would get the first one off the griddle.

Their mother, sensing the opportunity for a spiritual lesson, told them, “If Jesus were standing right here, he’d say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake.’”

Michael turned to his brother and said, “Okay, Joey you be Jesus.”

When Jesus says, “Love one another as I have loved you,” he is saying to you: Okay, you be like me ... you are to love like me ... you are to remain in my love. “This I command you: love one another.”

Jesus gave his Apostles some final instructions on how to be his witnesses in the world. He chose them to do something that will last.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta spoke of her mission to persons who have been tossed aside and left to die: “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But, if that drop were not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less. I do not agree with the big way of doing things. To us what matters is the individual. To get to love that person we must come in close contact with him or her.

“I believe in person to person: every person is Christ for me, and since there is only one Jesus, that person is the one person in the world at that moment. I see Christ in every person I touch, it is as simple as that.” As a follower of Christ, being molded in his image, there is no separation between who you are and what you do. Love is not just looking at each other and saying, “You’re wonderful.” There are times when we are anything but wonderful.

Each of us is able to love that way if we let God in, if we let the spirit in, if we let the spirit of truth touch our life. The only way we can love Jesus is in each other, which can be very revealing.

Consider the ways you speak to others. What happens to your relationship with another person when: you speak out of anger ... you speak out of jealousy ... you speak out of suspicion ... etc.? All of those blind you to the value of the other person and your own value.

On the other hand, when you speak out of concern ... when you speak with understanding ... when you speak with compassion ... do you speak gently and respectfully? Do you ever injure someone’s reputation? Do you speak unkindly, attacking the good name of someone else?

There are many persons who are hurt or who hurt others, every single day. According to Jesus, it does not have to be that way if you accept the awesome power of God’s grace and love working in you, leading you to God. Jesus reached out and touched others. You and I are asked to do the same: by the way you live ... by the ways you respect life ... by the ways you die to selfishness.

Those who do not give up in their illness; in their pain or problem; in their struggle to overcome ... an addiction ... a hatred ... a bad self image ... an abused past ... never fail to see there are many good things which do occur each day because many people do understand and accept a simple truth: it is a tremendous, awesome thing, to be the object of God’s constant concern. It is amazing and it is mysterious.

But, when someone offers you unconditional love, it is best not to ask too many questions. Just take it and run ... with God. When you do, you can be Jesus.