A Path for the New Academic Year
When Jesus says to his disciples, “Remain in my love” (John 15:9), He is inviting them to model their love for one another on the love He Himself received from the Father. For those of us who read this passage today, it speaks, first, of strengthening our relationship with God and, second, of shaping our relationships with each other.
Jesus’ words are an invitation to relationship. To remain in Christ’s love is not only to receive it but also to share it. To “remain” means to abide, to carry forward, to make present His love, which we have already received freely.
The love we receive from Jesus is not meant to end with us, but to flow through us to others.
Pope Francis has often said that the “style of God” is closeness, compassion, and tenderness. Similarly, in his address at the opening of the new pastoral year of the Diocese of Rome, Pope Leo XIV said: “I believe it is urgent to establish a pastoral approach that is supportive, empathetic, discreet, non-judgmental, welcoming to all, and offering paths that are as personalized as possible, tailored to the different life situations of those involved.”
This academic year, we at The Lay Centre have chosen to reflect on—and, we hope, to be inspired by—John 15. We wish to cultivate our interior lives by asking ourselves: “How often do I return to that source of love?” and, from a pastoral and practical perspective: “Who in my life most needs to experience Christ’s love through me today?”
As we continue to live the final months of the Jubilee of Hope in Rome, which will conclude on 6 January 2026, we hope to treasure its graces and carry them forward. This is also a year of preparation for The Lay Centre’s 40th anniversary, which will begin on 1 October 2026.
By the way, we invite all who have been associated with The Lay Centre at any point in its rich history to submit an article for consideration in the edited volume as well as for the academic conference day in June 2027.
As this new academic year begins, we remind ourselves that we do not need to “earn” Christ’s love; rather, we are called to receive it with open hearts—not as an award, but as a gift to be shared with others.
Obrigado,
Filipe Domingues
Director
