Though I speak the language of men and of angels, if I do not have love, I have become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and all wisdom and understanding, if I do not have love—to surrender myself, to give myself away, to forgive, to shelter—then I am nothing. And though I have all faith, faaaiiiith, so that I could remove mountains, if I do not have love, it will all be in vain.
Even though I donate all my goods to feed the poor, if I surrender my body to be burned for the sake of my own honor and manliness in saying, "I won't give up on my principles and the orthodoxy of my faith," but if I do all for reasons other than love, none of that will build anything. Love is patient; kind. Love doesn't envy, doesn't boast, and is not proud or arrogant.
Love doesn't behave improperly. It never rejoices with injustice and cannot say, "It serves you right. " Love just rejoices with the truth, endures all things, has no fear of suffering, believes all things, always gives positive chances to human possibilities, hopes all things, hopes for the good and the best.
Love is not able to cheer for evil, and love endures everything. Because love never ends, it changes shapes, means, and in changing, the relationships change the kind of love, but won't stop loving. I may once have loved someone as a spouse, and that couple relationship may have become unfeasible, but if you have loved that person, you'll never be able to "unlove.
" There are many ways of loving, but love isn't able to revert from itself. Now we see as in a mirror, but the day will come when we will see face to face. And then, if there are tongues, they will cease.
If there's knowledge, it shall pass. If there are prophecies, they will disappear. And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love.
Faith will pass away someday, for today we believe because we don't see. In the day we see, there won't be the need to believe. The hope I carry shall pass, for I hope because I'm awaiting when the thing I've been waiting for materializes; I won't need hope anymore.
But love—love will never disappear. Caio Fabio in Corinth City www. caiofabio.
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