For a few weeks I've thought about choosing an extended Bible focus on 1 Corinthians 13. What a wealth of thoughts for meditation! The vocation of a Christian is love. Love God first; and then, out of love for God, love for yourself and for your neighbor. St. Paul give a pretty complete list of the attributes of love. Some are positive describing what love IS; and some are negative describing what love IS NOT. According to St. Paul, these attributes
define love:
- Love is patient,
- Love is kind.
- Love does not envy.
- Love does not boast.
- Love is not proud.
- Love does not dishonor others (Love is not rude.)
- Love is not self-seeking.
- Love is not easily angered.
- Love keeps no record of wrongs.
- Love does not delight in evil.
- Love rejoices with the truth.
- Love always protects.
- Love always trusts.
- Love always hopes.
- Love always perseveres.
- Love never fails.
Maybe I'm an optimist thinking I can work through all these in only three months. I could easily spend a month on the items that are most challenging for me, beginning with patience. On the other hand, if it takes me a year or the rest of my life, no matter. Every journey begins with the first step and I look forward to it.
My first goal will be to mine the challenge of love that calls for patience. I'm eager to dig in and chip away. The image that comes to mind is Michelangelo who freed from blocks of marble his magnificent sculptures. Isn't there something beautiful to come forth when all the bits of impatience litter the floor of my soul freeing the virtue of patience in all its beauty?
I already had a moment of practice on the way home from church this morning. Does auto travel try your patience? As my irritation rose, I smiled to myself and thanked God for the first opportunity to practice. No doubt there will be many more, in fact a likely tsunami of opportunities to remind myself, perhaps through gritted teeth, that "Love is patient!"
Tomorrow, I'll look at the etymology of the word patient. You can hardly work on something without having a clear understanding of what it is and what it entails.
May your Sunday rest be truly blest. And may Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, enlighten us all.
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