December 11, 2014
The Way of Love
A reading from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 13, 1 – 13:
If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
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.
Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophecy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love, remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
We had a north-east storm on Wednesday and it will continue on Thursday tomorrow. It rained heavily and it was very windy. The wind was up to 90 km an hour. Because of the rain, there are floods everywhere. The water is crossing the road near my house and I saw the same thing in many places when I went out this afternoon. It will be windy tonight and we hope that the storm will end tomorrow afternoon.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Savior given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“I wish to remind you My brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters that the greatest gift you can have is the gift of love. Saint Paul wrote beautifully about love in the passage you will read today. Love is greater than prophecy, it is greater than all mysteries and knowledge and it is more important than faith. If you give away everything you have but you do not have love, this act is worth nothing.
A person who has the gift of love will be patient with his neighbors and friends and they will feel that love and the kindness of their friend. If you have the gift of love, then you will rejoice with the truth. Be assured that love never fails because love makes a person perfect. All the other things like prophecies, tongues, knowledge are partial but love is perfect and that is what you all need.
In order to have this great gift of love, you have to stop jealousy; you must not be inflated or rude; you must not seek your own interests and you must not be quick-tempered. You must not brood over injuries you received and you must not rejoice over wrongdoing. You are to bear all things, believe all things and hope in all good things and at the end you are to endure all things. I call you all to seek this gift from Me through prayer. I love you My dear friends.”
Father Melvin