24th Week in Ordinary Times : Wednesday, 16th September 2026

The Corinthians were taking pride in the charismatic gifts such as speaking in tongues, prophesying, and healing. However, St Paul urged them to seek the greatest gift of Christian love which includes all other gifts and without which all gifts are useless. Then he goes into practicality.

By love he does not mean some ethereal and nebulous feeling. Nothing could be more down to earth than his words, “love is patient, love is kind…” There is no limit to love’s forbearance, to its trust, its hope, and its power to endure. It has often been observed that whenever Paul writes the word “love,” the name of Christ can be inserted, eg, “Christ is patient, Christ is kind…” There is no limit to Christ’s forbearance, to His trust, His hope, His power to endure.

When a Christian acts, he must act as Christ does – with love. One might even say that the Christ within us yearns to have us allow Him to love others through our humanity. He wants to love with our hearts, to embrace others with our arms, and to serve our brothers and sisters with our hands. He wishes to continue to go about doing good through us, the members of His body.

Our love must be practical in the down-to-earth manner as described by St Paul. And this life of love will lift us even now above mere human existence. Here on earth our lives will already share with Christ in the blessedness of the heavenly kingdom.

PRAYER Christ Jesus, I love You; help me to love others.