Love is Kind, Etc.

It's been almost twenty-four hours and the earth has not rotated off its axis, so I think it is safe to say it now. I went to church two weeks in a row.  I'm not making any promises to keep it up or make it a trend, but it did fill my heart.  Plus it was nice to  hear the continuation of the readings.  And even though this priest could not have discussed his sermon with the priest I heard last week because it was a different church, they were in tune because of the way the readings continue a theme week to week.  That is one of the things I enjoy about the liturgical approach to worship.  Right now the subject has been the duty of the prophet to speak the message, and also how unappreciated the prophet likely will be among those who knew him or her first.

The main focus, however, and what has stayed with me longer, is the discussion about the second reading, one of my favorite passages of Scripture, familiar to so many people, and read at almost all Christian weddings.  In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he describes the attributes of love:

• Always patient and kind
• Never jealous
• Not boastful or conceited
• Never rude 
• Never seeks its own advantage
• Does not seek take offence or store up grievances
• Does not rejoice at wrongdoing but finds its joy in the truth
• Always ready to make allowances
• Always ready to trust, to hope, to endure whatever comes
• Never ends

But most of us only think about this love in the romantic context.  Love is love, period.  If you really love someone, these are the requirements.  Otherwise, your love falls short.

Now for the zinger.  We are told to "love your your neighbor as yourself" and to "love your enemies."  Between neighbors and enemies most everyone is covered in that commandment.  So if we really say we have love in our heart for our neighbors, our fellow Americans, our country itself, our family -- and daresay, our enemies? -- can we live up to these characteristics?

How can we say we love our country and take any pleasure at all in "our side" of the dysfunctional Congress we have?   Or some of the other sad name-calling and anger that seems to pervade our society?  I don't know exactly when or how it got this way, and in a sense it does not really matter.  Rather, I for myself, commit to always be ready to make allowances, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes.  I plan not to seek for my own advantage.  I will try not to take offence or store up grievances (that's a tough one).  And I will definitely find joy in the truth and not rejoice at wrongdoing.

"Never rude" may be another hard one for me, especially in traffic.  But I commit to work on it.

Love works miracles.  I have seen it happen.  One at a time.  And it starts with me.

But I must say that I am so grateful for all the people that love me.  It makes it so much easier to love others.