Word to the Wise
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Jer 1:4-5, 17-19; 1 Cor 12:31-13:13 or 13:4-13; Luke 4:21-30]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 wrong-doing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [1 Corinthians]
Many is the wedding at which I have heard these words from St. Paul read. And from years of pastoral experience, I can say that describing love is one thing, actually living the description is another. Certainly St. Paul has given us a noble description, but he also has set up a challenge that could be discouraging when we look at ourselves in the mirror!
A popular song from some years ago said, "Love means you never have to say you're sorry!" That, of course, is a fantasy. If love means anything, it means forgiving over and over again. Jesus led the way in forgiving to the very end. And, who among us has not done the opposite of what St. Paul's words proclaim?
If I had to take one of the lines and use it, it would be "Love is patient." I think most of my own failings in love have come from impatience. And now that I am getting elderly, that impatience is often directed at myself! Each of us can read St. Paul's words today and find them to be a good examination of conscience. AMEN