Please read this passage before reading the homily.

How do we know Jesus?  It is not enough to say, “I love God” and, “I love Jesus.”  A person could have memorized the whole Bible word for word and still not love God.  Keeping God’s word does not mean memorizing it; it means walking as God has walked, loving as God has loved.

God walked with Eve and Adam in the garden after they had disobeyed God.  Jesus came down to s and walked among us.  God and Jesus associated with sinners.  We are sinners and we must associate with sinners.  If we think we are not sinners, then we are blinded by our own darkness and the truth is not in us.  Whoever claims to be without sin makes God a liar and the truth is not in that person.

I think that John had some parishioner, members of his community, who looked upon themselves as righteous and spurned those whom, they thought, were sinners.  John wants them to say that such people do not know God or Jesus because Jesus came to save, not to condemn.

 John does not give his community a new commandment.  He says that this is the same commandment he had given them in the beginning of their conversion.  The darkness is passing, but whoever hates his brothers is stuck in the darkness still.    It is those who love their brothers who passed out of darkness into God’s own wonderful light.  If we live in the light, then we live in God and we are keeping God’s commandment.  This is how we know God, when we act like God in loving and forgiving in our community.