It is not jealous, love is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,
it does not rejoice over wrongdoing
but rejoices with the truth.
It bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.
As we hear Saint Paul's words, Love
is patient, we remember that our love must wait patiently. A life lived in wonder, in
patient loving and loving prayer, waiting on the Lord, waiting on His divine
pleasure, such a life is what we have professed, promising to be totally
available to Jesus, to one another, and ultimately to his Body the Church. We
have given ourselves over to a relationship of patient love, promising to go
the distance.
But
how shall we tolerate- bear patiently, lovingly- the ordinariness of God in
Christ, the ordinariness of one another?
How shall we remember to love patiently and kindly and give as Christ Jesus
did? How can we manage the overwhelming, truly astonishing love and patience and kindness of Christ for each of us? The truth is we cannot manage such love; we can only wonder, we
can only try to accept it as simple mercy and try to go and do likewise, each day, moment by moment. We take heart because the God who is Love is with us. And every moment He is doing what Love
loves to do- giving Himself away to us; patiently, kindly and with great tenderness.
Photo by Brother Brian.