Our second reading today is 1 Corinthians 13. This is often referred to as “The Love Chapter.” If you’ve ever been to a wedding, chances are you have heard this read there. St. Paul tells us what love is, and what it isn’t.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it 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.”
We would do well to read this chapter over and over again. Read it often throughout our lives. And ask ourselves, does our love match up with all these things? Too often we confuse love with infatuation, gratification or security. We think of love as an emotion. But true love is not an emotion. It is a choice. A choice to put someone else before ourselves. And ultimately, the greatest of those “someone elses” must be God.
Father, teach us to truly love. Take away those false notions of love that we carry around. Help us to be love, as You are love. Amen.
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