NOTES for Jo1 5:1-9

Today’s reading brought back a rather unpleasant memory of school days... The teacher says confidently, “But the problem is quite easy!” while the pupil stares gloomily at the desk, knowing that he understands nothing... The apostle John tells us, “His commandments are not burdensome.” An inner voice replies, “Yes, you are a saint, you are an apostle; it is easy for you to say.” What is wrong with this comparison? Of course, it is the phrase “it is easy for you to say.” The apostle John speaks not as a teacher but as one of us. Is he a saint? Yes, but not because he possessed special “aptitudes for holiness.” We have no right to say that it was easy for him and that we lack the gift. Every saint was simply a human being, just like us. The Lord’s commandments are objectively not burdensome; we need only desire to fulfill them. Everything depends on our choice, on our free will, and the Lord gives grace in abundance.