Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Love is the common way in how we relate to God, to others, or to ourselves. As followers of Christ, love is our trademark.
Love is a tricky word. It’s most often understood as an intense feeling of deep affection. Spiritually, love has a much deeper and richer meaning; it transcends a feeling or emotion. This is what we see in our second reading from St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor 12:31–13:13). Paul tells us that love isn’t merely a feeling but a way of relating to others. While most of us are fairly familiar with this reading, slowing down to read it empowers us to enjoy subtle beauties we may otherwise miss. In this timeless passage on love, Paul instructs us about what we need to hold close and what we need to let go. He empowers us with a framework to respond to any situation in love. Sometimes we will need to do things that are out of our comfort zone; sometimes we will need to not do things that feel natural to us. In both situations, love empowers us to respond beyond our feelings, so we may convey life to others.
We can begin by putting these into practice with those closest to us, our family. Although as Christians, we don’t stop there. As outlined in 1 Corinthians, we’re called to love everyone God brings into our lives. We are to imitate Christ and his love for others, even when that is difficult. Love never fails.
God Bless,
Deacon Howard
