Today's Epistle reading is the thirteenth chapter of I Corinthians, a favourite Bible passage for many. Having first heard from Jeremiah that God has a plan for prophetic action, we learn here from Saint Paul that love is the universal and fundamental spiritual gift; it is the answer. The question is why do we do what we do.
The Apostle tells us that we may learn everything, we may have perfect faith, we may even be totally self- giving to the point of immolation, but none of those things will have any value whatever --, any redemptive quality -- unless done out of love. The issue, then, is motivation. I believe our thought process should be: "I encounter God's providence in many ways and I connect with God's forgiveness in the Son God sent to show us how to live, and who was faithful even to death. In these ways, I experience God's love and my natural response is to do what is right, simply because it is right, and for no other reason."
Sadly, the motivations for learning, for growing faith, and for self-giving is too often pandering for a reward ("heaven') or avoiding a punishment ('hell"). And too often qualifying for these benefits will involve being enthralled to an infallible Bible, an infallible Church, or one or more infallible Prelates. Sorry, God alone is infallible . And God is love. I submit then that when Mother Church dangles the carrot or brandishes the whip, She keeps her children in spiritual immaturity. As Saint Paul reminds us, our spiritual selves can only begin to grow when our motivation is rooted strictly in love.
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