Love Never Fails

Love Never Fails

February 3, 2013

Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time 2013 C

By Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ

The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.  Jeremiah 1:4-6

Love never fails.  If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.  For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.  1 Corinthians 13:8-10

Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”  And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.  They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”  He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’”  And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.  Luke 4:21-24

Piety

Love is the fullness of piety shared with others.  It is one thing to love the Lord, our God with all our minds, hearts and souls.  But how can we say we love the God we do not see if we do not love the people that are part of our daily lives.  Love is a now thing about life.  The Sacrament of the Present Moment is the willingness to offer all of our life to the moment we are in and the people that are there..  A person fully alive is in the moment now with all they are .  Paul describes what this is like with his statement of all the things that love is.  Since only now touches the eternal now of heaven, it is always important that we put all of ourselves into what we are doing now for another.  Discernment is the awareness of what God is asking of us in the moment now of our lives.  We pray to the Spirit that we might be aware of what God is asking of us.  The Spirit allows us to see beyond appearances.  It open our eyes wide to the vision of Christ so that we can see our world through the eyes of Christ.  Richard Rohr tells us we have to get beyond appearances.  For me that is the simplicity of climbing the   cross of Christ and looking at my world with the eyes of Christ from his cross.  Piety is how we face the God of Now.

Study

We study how God protects us from the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.  Now is the only moment that touches the eternal now of God.  The evil spirit cannot come on his own into our now.  Our yesterdays and tomorrows are how temptation is formed.  Living the fullness of now is man fully alive.  What is good sanctity is also good mental health.  We clear up our worries over tomorrow by realizing God does not waste tomorrow’s graces on today.  I call it the principle of   divine economy.  God gives us what we need for today.  Yesterday’s sad memories are best handled by the realization that I can make a lifetime out of now.  It only takes a moment to live a lifetime.  Love is forever.  Cor.  1, 13 is Paul’s description of the greatest spiritual gifts.  Living those gifts is the fully alive that Spirituality and Psychology talk about.

Action

We put into action the love of God that has been with us before we were formed in our mother’s womb.  God knew us and loved us into being.  He created us to love us.  He does not force his love upon us.  So our biggest and most important action of life is our love.  We can have as much love in life as we give away.   Jesus claims the scroll of Isaiah 61 as the truth of himself.  The good news that love preaches to our friends is the truth of Christ in us.  Where there is love,  God  is there.  We are called to be the love of Christ for each other.  “There is no greater love that to give one ‘s life for the sake of another.” Love and do what you will.