1 Corinthians 13:1-13

“If I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing … And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three, and the greatest of these is love.”

I rejoiced when I saw this reading for April 5 because it is such an eloquent expression of the essence of the Christian faith. What it means to be a Christian is to live your life with love, love of neighbors and enemies, as well as self.

If only the whole world could live by this mantra what a wonderful place it would be: without wars over religion or territory; without persecution of people of color, gender, religious preference; without laws that favor one group to the exclusion of others. Ah yes, but we humans are all the product of millions of years of evolutionary adaptation for survival by competing, hunting, and fighting with enemies to protect territory and relationships. The Christian faith is truly a difficult one to live up to, but as a familiar saying goes, “it only takes one person to change the world,” and we must all strive to do our part to contribute to changing the world by living as Jesus taught us.

Oh God, you know how hard it is to live our lives totally with love. Give us the will to improve the way we live our lives and to more fully follow your Son day by day. Amen.

~Tom R.