We continue to hear from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians today. In that letter, Paul describes the different gifts that believers receive from the Holy Spirit. Today, in a very famous passage that we often hear at the celebration of the sacrament of holy matrimony, Paul talk about love. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit are special gifts from God, but those gift are nothing if we do not have the gift of love. Love is one of the most evident signs that the Spirit of Christ is truly present in the community and its members.
The love Paul talks about here is not eros, a romantic love, or philia, the love of friendship, but rather agape, the love of reaching out to a person with concern for that person’s well-being. Agape love is a love of compassion and caring. It does not demand or expect love in return. Agape is unconditional in the love that is given. Paul asserts that love goes beyond everything else, because love is a part of God’s nature. Love is not just something that God himself does - God himself is love. Gifts like prophecy and knowledge are important, but they too will pass away. Love is eternal. God calls us to faith. He calls us to hope. And he calls us to love. But according to Paul, the greatest of these is love.
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