God is THIS Love

The reading at mass today was 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13. Probably familiar to everyone and anyone who either is married or has attended a wedding. The following section in particular is very popular: 

Love is patient, love is kind.
It is not jealous, love is not pompous,
it is not inflated, it is not rude,
it does not seek its own interests,
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, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

On Sundays I take a mass journal with me and write down notes either about the readings that I feel speak to me or typically something about the homily that breaks open my heart or mind. Lately I've been finding that during the weekday masses I end up hearing something that speaks to my heart as well and I end up digging through my purse or pockets looking for a pen to write it down. (I actually once considered using my eyeliner in desperation because I couldn't find a writing utensil then caught myself and realized I should let it go...if it was becoming that much of distraction perhaps it was defeating the purpose). I'm off topic here, but my point is today during mass the priest spoke about this first reading and I scratched down some notes about what he had to say. (With pen by the way...not eyeliner. I'm sure to bring a pen with me all the time now). 

Here's what I recorded from the homily.

God is this love. We enter in this love through faith and then we too become this love. We shouldn't read this as a "do this list" or think of it as things we are not doing or are failing at in our lives and feel guilty.  Rather we should read or hear this as this is how God loves and what he gives us through baptism, gifts. Then we should pray, Lord help me to love like you.

"Love and do what you will. If you keep silent, keep silent by love. If you speak, speak by love. If you correct, correct by love. If your pardon, pardon by love. Let love be rooted in you, and from this root nothing but good can grow." ~ St. Augustine of Hippo