There are times in life where we say things without thinking, only to regret what we said later. There are times where we say something just to make another person happy or to get the other person off our back, but we do not mean what we say. There are also times where we say something, perhaps intending to honour what we have said, but due to pressures and other distractions in life, we may have forgotten what we had said. What about you? Are you being honest with your words? Some people say that they have uttered white lies, perhaps to get out of a sticky or undesirable situation, but a lie is still a lie, regardless of what colour it is.
The same scenario can be applied to when we use the word “love.” Do we really understand what “love” is? Sometimes we say we “love,” but we actually mean we “like.” In today’s reading, St. Paul reminds us that: “Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offence, and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes… In short, there are three things that last: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.”
Seeing the many attributes and characteristics of “love,” do we really mean what we say when we say we love God? In the same way, do we really love others, just as God loves us? It is easy to misuse and abuse the word “love,” but it is certainly not so simple to really love God and people. Does this mean that we can never love properly and truly? We are not perfect, we make mistakes, but if we do our best and continue to trust in God’s help and providence, surely we will slowly be able to love meaningfully, truthfully and consistently.