Eternally chosen by the Father in the beloved Son, human beings find in Christ the Way by which to achieve their goal as adopted children. They unite with Him, becoming His Body. Through Him they ascend to the Father as a single "whole" with the things of earth and heaven.This divine plan finds its historical implementation when Jesus institutes the Church, which He first proclaims and then founds with the sacrifice of His blood and the mandate given to the Apostles to feed His flock. […]For the realization of this communion of men and women in Christ eternally desired by God, the commandment that Jesus Himself defines as "My commandment" has essential importance. He calls it "a new commandment": "I give you a new commandment: that you love one another. As I have loved you, that you also love one another." "This is My commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you."The commandment to love God above all things, and one's neighbor as oneself, has its roots in the Old Testament. But Jesus summarizes it, formulates it in sculptural words, gives it a new meaning, as a sign of His followers' belonging to Him. "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." Christ Himself is the living model and constitutes the measure of that love of which He speaks in His commandment: "As I have loved you." (Pope John Paul II, General Audience, 15 January 1992)