Love is...

Homily for Wednesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Chapter 13 of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians is, perhaps, one of the most famous in all of Pauline literature. It is the “go to” passage for weddings, but it is often overlooked at such times because we are preoccupied with the details of the wedding. It is somewhat ironic that this passage is used in this way when we consider how many loveless marriages we encounter in our society and culture.

All or part of the material of chapter 13 may once have been an independent piece in the style of Hellenistic eulogies of virtues, but it is now integrated, by editing, into the context of St. Paul’s discussion about charisms and ministries and the Christian community. Verses four through seven of this discourse try to describe what love is and love isn’t. Perhaps you have heard it said that love is not a noun but rather a verb. Love is not something tangible; love is an action. You might be surprised, therefore, to realize that in the original Greek these verses employ the use of 15 verbs which are more easily translated into adjectives.

Today’s Gospel text helps us put a different perspective on this chapter from St. Paul’s writing. John lived simply, eating locusts and honey in the desert, like a monk. However, he was seen as someone was possessed by a demon. Jesus lives with the people, eating with anyone and everyone, indulging in food and wine. However, he was seen as a drunkard and a glutton. There is no winning with the crowd that surrounds Jesus. Jesus and John simply do not act the way they are supposed to act in the minds of their audience.

However, Jesus knows who he is and where his mission will lead. Consequently, he makes sure that those who hear his voice understand that he knows when he says: “but wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” Jesus is the personification of wisdom. While St. Paul writes that on this side of heaven we can only see partially, wisdom teaches us that God is the only one who sees clearly. No matter what something “looks like” to us, we also realize that we must be open to mystery, to surprises, to expect the unexpected where God is concerned.

Today, as we approach the Eucharistic table, may God bless us with wisdom to see as God sees and to love as God loves.