St. Augustine once said, “Love, and do what you will!”  It’s the kind of phrase that trips off the tongue lightly and sounds nice and warm and fuzzy but if we really listen to those words - and look at what they mean - and think about how they can be used, we will feel how very deep they really are.  Father Neil talked about love as the foundation for living last week.

 

St. Paul talks about love today in this very famous passage for first Corinthians.  This passage is known the world over by Christians and non-Christians everywhere.  It is used as a reading at weddings and also at funerals, on all kinds of occasions because it lays out for us an ideal world where we all have learned what love is and we all practice it.  We all “love first, and then do what we will, whatever we feel we should, and it will be alright if we are guided and motivated by love!”

 

Jesus came to bring us God’s kingdom, which is the Kingdom of Love, and promised the people of his time that they needed to guide their actions by love.  Unfortunately, they didn’t listen.  What were they missing?  Were they really there in the synagogue to express their love for God, or were they just there because it was a comfortable place to be, to feel that they were somehow being good without having to do much at all.  Are we like that today when we come to church?  Are we here because we love God and want to revel in that love, or are we here because we always come here on Sunday and it seems like the right thing to do?

 

How do we know?  When you hear something in scripture or in a homily that challenges you to change, to get out and act, are you resentful?  Like the people in Jesus’ hometown, do we listen to the wonder of God’s word and realize we can make a difference starting today if we reach out with love, or do we say, “Who does that guy think he is, trying to be all Holy, he’s just the carpenter’s son – he’s a nobody – I don’t have to listen to him!”

 

If we look at some of the feature of love that Paul teaches us about, maybe we can figure it out.

 

Love is patient!  Wow, there’s a biggie right off the bat!  Do you feel that you are a loving person – then how do you behave in your car?  I had a real experience yesterday when I drove a good friend to the hospital for some tests for his heart condition.  He was worried and upset and I was trying to help keep him relaxed. 

 

When we got to the parking garage, the little machine that gave me the parking ticket was not cooperating and after about 15 seconds, the cars behind me in the line started honking their horns.  I know what my normal reaction in that situation would be – to turn around and shout or gesture, to suggest something about his irregular parental history and maybe even suggest that he proceed immediately to his eternal reward - which I felt certain would be a lot warmer than Mississauga. 

 

But you know… I didn’t – and what’s more I didn’t even feel the urge.  A part of me was even saying, “This must be very frustrating for them, I hope this machine works soon!”  And as I thought about it, I realized where this extra supply of patience was coming from; it was because I was on an errand of love for someone I cared about, and the love that was in my heart kept the impatience away.

 

Love is kind.  That sounds easy, but it’s not really – especially in a society where 95% of our humour and entertainment is based on cruelty, at the expense of someone else.  We try to be “cool” by scoring off each other, by having the sharpest and quickest insults always ready at the tip of our tongues, to ignore or exploit the personal  pain of others.  Or else we forget about kindness, just to show how smart or knowledgeable we are, even though Paul promises that knowledge will pass away. 

 

I visited a lady at Sheridan Villa who told me how lonely she was because her family never came to see her.  Now I knew that her son had visited only that morning, but would it have been kind to tell she was wrong, that her memory was failing?  No, because what she needed just then was not information or correction, she needed sympathy and warmth when she felt she had none.  Sometimes It’s more important to be kind than right.

 

We’ve seen a lot of acts of human kindness in all the trouble we’ve had with snow over the last little while.  I heard about a couple who were listening to the radio during first storm, and the announcer said, “Please park your cars on the even-numbered side of the road so that the snow-ploughs can get through!”  So the husband said, “I better be a good citizen!” and he went out in the cold and moved the car. 

 

The next day more snow fell and the radio announcer said, “Please park you car on the odd-numbered side of the road today, so that the ploughs can do the other side.”

 

So the man said, “Here we go again!”  He got all bundled up and went out and moved the car.  On the third day, it was snowing and blowing even harder, and as the Announcer was talking, he said, “Please park your cars on…”  and the power went out and the radio shut off.  The man said to his wife, “What will I do now!”  She looked at him and with kindness in her voice said, “Why not just leave it in the garage today dear?”

 

Love is not irritable, it doesn’t have bad moods!  This is a good one!  A real toughie!  The fast pace of today gets on all of our nerves and makes it hard not be irritable.  But still, it’s rare for us to snap at the boss when we feel that way - but we expect the ones we love at home to put up with our “moods”!  Our children learn quickly that if they want to experience love, they have to watch out for times when their parents are not irritable. 

 

If they want a ride to a friend’s house, they’ll watch for the opportunity when you are smiling before they ask.  If they have a bad report card, they’ll suddenly do unexpected chores and keep the volume on the hip-hop music down to soften you up so that you will react with love and not anger.  But is it their job to try to love away our irritability or is it our job to make sure we that we love them first, and we are full of love, then irritation won’t find a home in your heart anymore.