"There is no place for
selfishness—and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes
demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice” --Pope John Paul II
Scripture Text: (1 COR 12:31-13:13)
Brothers and sisters:
Strive eagerly for the greatest
spiritual gifts.
But I shall show you a still more
excellent way.
If I speak in human and angelic
tongues
but do not have love,
I am a resounding gong or a clashing
cymbal.
And if I have the gift of prophecy
and comprehend all mysteries and all
knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move
mountains,
but do not have love, I am nothing.
If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I
may boast
but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, love is not
pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not
brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all
things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
If there are prophecies, they will be
brought to nothing;
if tongues, they will cease;
if knowledge, it will be brought to
nothing.
For we know partially and we prophesy
partially,
but when the perfect comes, the
partial will pass away.
When I was a child, I used to talk as
a child,
think as a child, reason as a child;
when I became a man, I put aside
childish things.
At present we see indistinctly, as in
a mirror,
but then face to face.
At present I know partially;
then I shall know fully, as I am fully
known.
So faith, hope, love remain, these
three;
but the greatest of these is love.
Love is a choice. We make thousands of
choices a day but the most important decision we will make all day is the one to
love.
As St. Paul says in his letter,
"If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a
resounding gong or clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and
comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own,
and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain
nothing."
Love is the greatest of all things and
is the force with which the world turns. However, the type of "love"
that we see most often today is not the kind of love into which Christ calls
us. This type of love is an even exchange, 50/50. You should only love
someone who can give you something in return. This kind of love leaves no room
for human brokenness. The minute we falter, we become open to the fear that we
will no longer be accepted.
The love we are being called to in
Christ is a selfless and inclusive love - a love that knows no bounds and is
not "self-seeking". St. Paul gives us a list of the characteristics
of love that we should strive to emulate. These are not just instructions for a
married couple, but for all of humanity. This list shows a variety of ways we
can exemplify this love: being kind, patient, and selfless; this kind of love
never fails.
Yes, we are human and our love is not
perfect. That does not mean we should give up hope. We are called though to
shine forth a facet of Christ's light and love. To strive for the unconditional
love that we are given every moment. In that intention is where we exemplify
that love. Our greatest example of this kind love is Christ crucified where He
poured out Himself for us. All things lead back to Christ, especially our love
for one another.
"There is no human love that is
not broken somewhere. When our broken love is the only love we can have, we are
easily thrown into despair, but when we can live our broken love as a partial
reflection of God's perfect, unconditional love, we can forgive one another our
limitations and enjoy together the love we have to offer." - Henri
Nouwen's Bread for the Journey
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