“If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him” (Jn 14:23).
Jesus never tired of showing His disciples, and therefore us today, His intimate union with the heavenly Father. People must recognise that it was the Father who sent Him and that everything the Son says and does is at the Father’s behest.
So it is with every word that Jesus says: whoever clings to it lives in the love of the Father; whoever does not cling to it does not love Jesus and therefore cannot live in the love of the Father.
However beautiful and good feelings may be, it must be remembered that love for Jesus and the Father is not just a sentimental love, but is first and foremost the decision of our will to listen to Jesus and to cling to His words.
This means defending His Word against all internal attacks, be they doubts, temptations, etc., as well as against all external attacks, such as false doctrines, from wherever they come, which seek to relativise or falsify His holy words.
This adherence to the word of Jesus is particularly important in times of confusion, when our environment does not naturally share our faith and we even have to reckon with attacks within the Church. At the same time, it is all the more meritorious, and surely our Father is all the more pleased, that we remain faithful to the Word of Jesus in times of tribulation. The Father Himself will give us the grace to do so, for on Mount Tabor He gave us this unforgettable commandment:
“This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (Lk 9:35).