Conversion

Tags

Acts of the Apostles, Christianity, conversion, Corinthians, endures, kind, love, patient, St. Paul, the slow work of God, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth, walk with God

St. Paul was, by all accounts, a passionate and zealous man, both before and after his conversion to Christ. That dramatic moment, chronicled in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 9, seems fitting and perhaps necessary for one so focused on his mission in life. His whole life journey changed in a blinding (literally) flash of light and a voice that he recognized as divine. Interestingly, the story goes that his companions saw the light but did not hear the voice. For that reason, perhaps, and for all that followed that coincided with the instructions given to Paul, it was easier for the witnesses to comprehend the total turnaround in his behavior. The comment that concludes the short biography of Paul on the americancatholic.org website this morning speaks of Paul’s style of writing as “rabbinical” and sometimes difficult to understand at its depth, but that in it we find so many beautiful jewels that have become part of the everyday coin in our Christian language. The quote they chose to illustrate this fact is certainly one of the most familiar and bears repeating as we consider the contribution of Paul to the spread of Christianity.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interest, 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, hopes all things, endures all things…(1COR 13:4-7)

For most of us conversion is a daily thing, perhaps punctuated with brief moments of insight that keep us moving along our spiritual path. While we sometimes long for  more visible and dramatic events to transform us, the value of a steady, day-to-day walk with God cannot be underestimated. Moreover, the example of those who live Paul’s defining words of love in all they do can remind us of the beauty of each life and can help us to humbly embrace our own as “the slow work of God.”

Advertisements

True Love

Tags

bears, Corinthians, endures, God, love, Love never fails, Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, truth

The section of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (12:31 – 13:13) is used very frequently in weddings and funerals and any events whose purpose is to motivate people to love or good works. Many of us can quote all or most of the attributes of love mentioned there. We listen to it and especially at weddings have a warm feeling inside as we witness the couple – hopefully very much “in love” – officially starting their life together. There is definitely much to ponder in this text which often goes far beyond “good feelings” as our lives proceed and we mature in and through the lessons and challenges that come our way.

For me the most important lines are these: “[Love] rejoices with the truth. It bears all things…endures all things. Love never fails.” It is on these tenets of love that I think the whole enterprise of loving must be built if it is to hold together. It says to me that love is not simply a feeling but a way of being, nourished by practice in living honestly and wisely, awake to the truth of situations that sometimes necessitate stripping off layers of emotion, desire, fear and/or wishful thinking. Being able to stand before a mirror and before God knowing truth and following it to the best of our ability is the reason that love never fails. And to the mature person, that is enough to know.