Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)
January 30, 2022
“Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous..." (1 Corinthians 13:4)
Five years ago, I had one of those moments of “I will never have this at my wedding.” Does this sound familiar? If I had five dollars for every time I heard the New Testament reading from this weekend chosen at weddings, I would purchase a private island.
Fast forward five years, my opinion has surely changed. When my wife and I chose the readings for our wedding, this reading was her only request. My wife is from France and at our wedding, her aunt read it in French. I thought to myself at first that this was a blessing to “my ears” since I did not understand a lot of French.
Patience, kindness, no anger, no jealousy. These are just a few descriptions of the word “love” according to 1 Corinthians 13 that we can all comprehend, whether I use the word love or l’amour. Loving one another takes daily practice, just like learning a second language.
Did you ever think that all of us were born bilingual? We know our own spoken language and the language of Christ’s love. Love is the universal language that Jesus gives us to flourish as we minister our communities. Let us follow Jesus’ greatest commandment and learn His language and not just morph into a group of people near the Tower of Babel.
Prayer
Loving and patient God,
give us the gifts to translate Your language of loving one another,
whether our families, friends, or enemies.
Let our hearts shine as Your love never fails us.
Let us not fail You as we keep Your covenant
and find the true virtue of happiness in Your truth.
Amen.
Daniel F. Kovacic
Minister of Music and Organist
Resurrection Parish
Pittsburgh, PA