Love Bears all Things

Today is the last day of January. It is a good day to evaluate our New Year Resolutions. Looking around your town you will probably notice much of life has reverted back to where it was in December. Fitness center parking lots aren’t full anymore, but neither are Church lots.

Evaluating our spiritual progress is no less important than our physical or financial health. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8.36) It also doesn’t help to look at other and think we are doing any better than anyone else.

Brethren, you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.  And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues.  Are all apostles?  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work miracles?  Do all possess gifts of healing?  Do all speak with tongues?  Do all interpret?  But earnestly desire the higher gifts.  And I will show you a still more excellent way.  If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

1^st Corinthians 12:27-31;13:1-8

Today’s reading is chosen in honor of the Feast of Saints Cyrus and John the Unmercenaries. Their love for others was so great that they used their own wealth to heal and comfort them. It wasn’t just that they didn’t charge for their services. They used their own wealth.

There is a connection between the unmercenaries and our need to evaluate our spiritual progress this year. Saint Cyrus and John could have said, “Well, if they wanted to be healed, they should have planned better so they could pay us.” They did not because of love.

You may not be a doctor. You may not even be wealthy ‘enough’ to use your wealth to help others. You can love. You can comfort. You can reach out without judgement. No matter how ‘holy’ you think you are, if you do not love then your holiness won’t matter.

The Corinthians were very much like modern Americans. They were educated, wealthy, multicultural and very cosmopolitan. They also judged others for not being like them. We can learn a lot from them, not the least of which is about love.

I invite you to evaluate YOUR New Year Resolutions about faith, not ‘their’ resolutions. It doesn’t matter if ‘they’ aren’t in Church. Are you attending as much as you could, or should? Keep in mind we can all do better. Loving others means to be patient with ‘their’ lack of faith, not yours.

Loving others means that we don’t boast about how ‘holy’ we are. Instead, we admit to ourselves we have work to do. Loving others means to bear with the weakness of others. If they are impatient, we become more patient. If they are jealous, we are generous for them.

How can we improve ourselves without judging others? It begins with confession, prayer, fasting and charity. But none of it will matter if we walk away proud and judgmental about the people we are praying for, or the people we are helping.

Saints Cyrus and John helped without pay. Maybe we can learn a lesson from them. Maybe it is time for us to pray without being prayed for. Maybe we can help others without receiving anything in return. If we love, then we will bear their burden freely.