First Reading

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah (1:4-5, 17-19)

The word of the Lord came to me saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

But gird your lions; stand up and tell them all that I command you. Be not crushed on their account, as though I would leave you crushed before them; fir it is I this day who have made you a fortified city, pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land: Against Judah's kings and princes, against its priests and people. They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17)

(R) I will sing of your salvation.

In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your justice rescue me, and deliver me; incline your ear to me, and save me. (R)

Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety, for you are my rock and my fortress. O my God, rescue me from the land of the wicked. (R)

For you are my hope, O Lord; my trust, O God, from my youth. On you I depend from birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength. (R)

My mouth shall declare your justice, day by day your salvation. O God, you have taught me from my youth, and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (12:31-13:13)

Brothers and sisters: Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way.

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, it 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 in 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 prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became an adult, 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.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

Gospel Acclamation

(R) Alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives. (R)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (4:21-30)

Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying: "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" He said to them: "Surely you will quote me this proverb, "Physician, cure yourself." And say, "Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum." And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Isreal during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

A boy had bought a bright coloured pair of trousers for his girlfriend on her birthday. Even though it was quite expensive the boy was very pleased with his purchase. But then the next day he was back in the shop to return the trousers and get his refund. The salesman asked him the reason for it. He said, "I am sorry, my girlfriend does not like them." The salesman felt pity for him and gave him his money back. A week later he was back again, all smiles, and wanted to buy the trousers. The salesman asked, "Has your girlfriend changed her mind?" The boy said, "No, I have changed the girl."

The story reminds us that real love does not turn on and off like a light switch but false love does. "Love" is perhaps one of the most popular themes in conversation among people. Nonetheless, because of varied experiences, it is also hard for us to understand and accept what true love is. Today's second reading from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians speaks about true love for others. The text is certainly Saint Paul's best known passage. You may have heard and read it at weddings. Before we move on let us look at the background to the text.

Corinth was a church Paul established during one of his missionary journeys and where he stayed for two years. After several years, while staying with the Church at Ephesus, Paul heard about disunity, division and contention in the church at Corinth. Apparently the Corinthians who had been encouraging and approving spiritual gifts, such as the gift of wisdom, the gift of prophecy, the gift of knowledge, and the gift of faith, viewed these as special and extraordinary gifts bestowed by God upon some chosen people. As a result those with such special spiritual gifts were feeling superior to others who seemed to have fewer and less-conspicuous / prestigious gifts such as the gift of listening; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of caring for others and so on. Therefore, Paul wrote to remind them that regardless of the kind and number of spiritual gifts one person possessed, these spiritual gifts would be of limited value unless they were used out of love. As we examine the text, let us apply it to our own life.

First, he speaks about the futility of our religious acts, pious practices and spiritual gifts, and reiterated that even the best of them, if they are not motivated by love, they are of no value / are useless. He cites some other gifts, perhaps his own, "If I am gifted with the ability to speak in heavenly languages; if I am blessed with the ability to know and understand mysteries; if I have the gift of faith so as to move mountains and if I am given a generous spirit to give away all of my possessions to the poor and needy; but do have no love then all of these gifts would become worthless. And Paul compares such Christian life to a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal - bronze vessels used by the Corinthians in their religious rites. The sound of the gong, for instance, is a highly effective tool for meditation and shifting consciousness. It is used for healing, communication, ceremonies and in music. However, listening to the sound of the gongs and cymbals for too long can be more irritating rather than enjoyable. So also, he says, the spiritual gifts used with love will bring great benefits and blessings to everyone but without love, they could become worthless. One may benefit from the loveless exercise of spiritual gifts, but the benefits may be greatly reduced when love is absent.

Second, Paul further points out the importance of love. He does not give us a technical definition of love; instead, he provides us with a description of the qualities of love, by stating what "love is not". Love is patient. Patience is defined as "the capacity to accept or tolerate delays, troubles, or sufferings without getting angry or upset". For Paul, patience is associated with long suffering and mercy, an attribute of God. Patience is necessary in our human relationships because people are slow in understanding and are unpredictable. Love is kind. If patience is the passive side of love (being good to others), kindness is the active side (doing good to others). Love for someone is manifested in our kind acts.

Love is not jealous. Feeling unhappy about the success, prosperity or wellbeing of another is jealousy or envy. We tend to despise our own gifts and wish to have the gifts of others. We all manifest the sin of envy to some extent. Love is not pompous and it is not inflated. Exhibiting arrogance, self-importance, and attributing our successes to our own merit and ignoring the efforts and contribution of others in our growth are our sins against true love for God and others.

Love is not rude. Love is about behaving in an appropriate and respectful manner. True love demands deep respect for one another in our thoughts, words and actions. Love does not seek its own interests. True love for God and others leads us to place the concern, interests and well-being of others above our own. But alas much of our love may be selfish. Selfishness has been described as "one of the major enemies of married love and of love within the family." Blessed Pope John Paul II said, "The great danger for family life, in the midst of any society whose idols are pleasure, comfort, and independence, lies in the fact that people close their hearts and become selfish." For instance, many a time in our verbal exchanges, each of us wants to win, and each of us wants others to lose. Often we get so caught up in winning that we lose our perspective. Sometimes we even lose sight of the truth.

Brothers and sisters, we can talk at great length about Saint Paul's understanding of love. But let us just remember that true love for God and others was, is and will be always tested. Mary's love for God was tested. Joseph's love for Mary was tested even before he married her. Jesus' love for his disciples and God His Father was tested so much that he said, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done." (Luke 22:42). Although we may never be capable of perfect love because only God can love unconditionally, it is essential to practice this virtue as Christians and children of God, in order to be always close to God and others. Let us strive hard to utilize the gifts which have been given to us as spiritual gifts from God, with good acts of mercy and love and with the virtue of humility.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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