“But the Greatest of these is Love!” St. Paul concludes his discourse on charity with the words, “but the Greatest of these is Love.” One of my favorite wedding gifts was a beautifully framed decorative wall hanging, with the words St. Paul used to describe love in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 13, 4-7). The words pierced deep into my heart. It was the most profound description of love I had ever heard! I immediately knew I had to put the inspired words of St. Paul into practice. Those words are as follows: “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.”
Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a world in which everyone practices St. Paul’s description of love? I dare to say it would solve every problem known to man! Think about it, no more unkind acts toward one another, no jealousy, no feeling superior to others, humility would replace arrogant pride, no more rude encounters, not a selfish person in the world, no anger, and no gloating over others’ misfortune. Think of the effect true love for one another would have on every relationship, including every marriage. How about our business relationships? Greed, corruption, and self-centered business practices would cease to exist! The sharing of our resources would result in every child being fed and eliminate their suffering and dying of hunger! Road rage would become a thing of the past! Hatred, bigotry, and vengeance would be replaced by love and forgiveness!
On July 7, 1967, the Beatles released a song entitled, All You Need Is Love. Throughout recent history, many other artists have written songs with a similar message. The message is incredibly profound, and sorely needed to change our world for the better, yet as well as these songs did at the time rising to the top of th charts, the words seem to fall on deaf ears because very little changed with regard to true love in the world. But the most profound message of all concerning love was given to the world by our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, when he was asked by the teachers of the law which was the greatest commandment, Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” This was the entire summary of the message Jesus came to give us, simply stated, and one which Jesus lived out among us on earth. God simply wants us to love, and if these commandments are followed, as previously stated, life on earth will improve dramatically!
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