Today I’m reflecting on the first reading. From the 1st letter of St Paul to the Corinthians it’s a call to allow every aspect of our lives to be shaped by love:
“Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins, but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.”
St Paul captures the essence of love and why it is so essential to our lives. He expresses both the ideal we strive towards and the practicalities of how we make that ideal a reality in our daily lives. He reminds me that the call of love is always to seek the good of the other, to act with kindness and to to give the benefit of the doubt wherever we can.
We live in times that are quick to judge and condemn. Fuelled by the speed and anonymity of the internet it’s rare that we take the time to listen & understand views that are different from ours. Sometimes we rush into reacting before love has a chance to make its voice heard.
St Paul’s call to love is a call to re-evaluate all of that, to consider our response to disagreement in the light of the love we’re called to by the gospel. How that could reinvent the digital arena, and all our public engagement?
Often I think we find it easier to act with love in challenging, difficult situations than in the ordinary, mundane interactions of daily life. Yet it’s the daily small kindnesses and patience in bearing with one another that changes lives, easing burdens and allowing love to flourish.
Where are you being called to allow love to flourish in your life today?