Mature Love and wisdom

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us that our experience and practice of Love is a journey from childish self serving attitudes to a mature position where we strive to live agape, putting the needs of the other ahead of our desires.

The journey

The Thirteenth Chapter of Letter to the Corinthians is one of the greatest poetic expressions of the nature of Love.

* [13:4–7] This paragraph is developed by personification and enumeration, defining love by what it does or does not do. The Greek contains fifteen verbs; it is natural to translate many of them by adjectives in English.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus notes that we are too often impossible to please when the spiritual path presented to us does not meet our expectations.

[7:31–35] See note on Mt 11:16–19.

* [11:16–19] See Lk 7:31–35. The meaning of the parable (Mt 11:16–17) and its explanation (Mt 11:18–19b) is much disputed. A plausible view is that the children of the parable are two groups, one of which proposes different entertainments to the other that will not agree with either proposal. The first represents John, Jesus, and their disciples; the second those who reject John for his asceticism and Jesus for his table association with those despised by the religiously observant. Mt 11:19c (her works) forms an inclusion with Mt 11:2 (“the works of the Messiah”). The original form of the saying is better preserved in Lk 7:35 “…wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” There John and Jesus are the children of Wisdom; here the works of Jesus the Messiah are those of divine Wisdom, of which he is the embodiment. Some important textual witnesses, however, have essentially the same reading as in Luke.

Bob Connolly at Enola Baptist Church cites work of Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Eerdmans Publishing, 2000, p.1046, on the verbs used in 1 Corinthians 13.4-7.

One important  grammatical point that affects our understanding of these four verses:–        "Most English translations render the Greek as if it used adjectives to describe the nature of love ‘timelessly,’ e.g., love is patient; love is kind; etc.
–        But the nature of love is expressed by Paul in a series of verbs, the active character of which may not be fully indicated by adjectives
–        Our translation strives to preserve the verbal structure of the Greek, as against the adjectival structure of many English translations”

The prayer site, Sacred Space, a joint apostolate of the Irish Jesuits and Loyola Press, shares reflections on the Gospel from Luke.

This scripture passage reminds us that children tend to act out of their feelings of the present moment. Mature adulthood can share feelings but can put order into life and give preference to reason and trust. God helps us to grow in this kind of maturity, and through our relationship with Him we learn to follow His ways. He passes on His wisdom to us so that we can be in charge in our lives, not be victims of our moods. Lord, that I may see and understand.

Don Schwager quotes The song and dances of the prophets, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"'Therefore, wisdom is justified by all her children.' He fittingly says 'by all,' because justice is preserved around all. In order that an acceptance of the faithful may happen, a rejection of the unbelieving must occur. Very many Greeks say this, “Wisdom is justified by all her works,” because the duty of justice is to preserve the measure around the merit of each. It aptly says, “We have piped to you, and you have not danced.” Moses sang a song when he stopped the flow in the Red Sea for the crossing of the Jews (Exodus 15:1-18), and the same waves encircled the horses of the Egyptians and, falling back, drowned their riders. Isaiah sang a song of his beloved’s vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7), signifying that the people who before had been fruitful with abundant virtues would be desolate through shameful acts. The Hebrews sang a song when the soles of their feet grew moist at the touch of the bedewing flame, and while all burned within and without, the harmless fire caressed them alone and did not scorch (Daniel 3:19-25). Habakkuk also learned to assuage universal grief with a song and prophesied that the sweet passion of the Lord would happen for the faithful (Habakkuk 3:13). The prophets sang songs with spiritual measures, resounding with prophecies of universal salvation. The prophets wept, softening the hard hearts of the Jews with sorrowful lamentations" (Isaiah 46:12). (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 6.6-7)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 1 Corinthians 12:31–13:13 declares that Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:8) Paul’s beautiful hymn of charity, as this passage is often called, paints the picture of a mature love filled with spiritual vitality. It’s not the textbook definition of love that we find in a dictionary, but a soaring hymn that expresses what Christian love looks like as it is lived out day by day. This love is patient and kind rather than irritable; it serves the needs of others and does not insist on its own way; it is not quick-tempered; and it doesn’t brood over injuries (1 Corinthians 13:4, 5).

As he wrote about growing from childish ways into mature faith, Paul surely had his own life in mind as well as the Corinthians’ lives. Paul had started out as a zealous young Pharisee who persecuted Christians. It took some time, even after his conversion, for him to calm down. But over time, he grew in his love for Jesus and became a more effective force for reconciliation and unity.
So make it a goal to grow in love. If you find yourself getting impatient, ask the Lord for the grace to be patient. If you find yourself getting consumed by anger, try to put on gentleness. If you find yourself getting puffed up by pride, ask the Spirit to give you a greater share in the gift of humility.

Friar Jude Winkler notes the difference of the vocabulary in this portion of the Letter to the Corinthians and the way Paul usually writes. The characteristics cited for Love serve as an examination of conscience and our motivations. Friar Jude comments that as we develop the power of abstraction we become more open to the call to die to oneself that may be presented to us by challenges from surprising sources.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the Genesis story of the Judeo-Christian tradition is really quite extraordinary. It says that we were created in the very “image and likeness” of God, proceeding from free and overflowing love (Genesis 1:26). This flow is rediscovered and re-experienced by various imperfect people throughout the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. This sets us on a positive and hopeful foundation, which cannot be overstated. The Bible illustrates, through various stories, humanity’s objective unity with God, the total gratuity of that love and, unfortunately, our resistance to such an “impossibility.”

Due to a lack of mysticism and contemplative consciousness, I find that many Christians still have no knowledge of the soul’s objective union with God (e.g., 1 John 3:2, 2 Peter 1:4). Such gratuity is too good to be true. Even ministers often fight me on this, quoting Augustine’s “original sin,” Calvin’s “total depravity,” or Luther’s statement, “humans are like piles of manure, covered over by Christ.” I am sure they all meant well, but they also dug a pit so deep that many could never climb out or allow themselves to be lifted out.

Fr Richard reminds us that we can’t accomplish or work up to union with God, because we have it.

“Before the world began you were chosen, chosen in Christ to live through love in his presence” (Ephesians 1:4).

The biblical revelation is about awakening, not accomplishing. It is about realization, not performance. You cannot get there, you can only be there. Only the humble can receive it and surrender to such grace. 

References

(n.d.). I Corinthians 13. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians13.htm
(n.d.). Luke 7. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/luke/7:31
(n.d.). 1 Corinthians 13 - Purified by Faith. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from http://www.purifiedbyfaith.com/ShortBibleStudies/1Cor13_1-13/1Cor13_1-13.htm
(n.d.). Luke 7:31-35 | Sacred Space. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://www.sacredspace.ie/scripture/luke-731-35
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 19, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/