Love's redemptive power
"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 interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes, hopes, and endures all things." (1 Corinthians 13:4–7) This iconic passage from Saint Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians is not merely a lyrical celebration of love—it is a profoundly theological exposition of the highest Christian virtue (agapē), which lies at the heart of the Gospel and the life of grace. Within the broader context of spiritual gifts and communal tensions in the Corinthian Church, Paul places this hymn as a corrective and a guide, showing that love is the measure by which all gifts, actions, and vocations must be judged. Even the most exalted spiritual powers are meaningless without love (cf. 1 Cor 13:1–3). Here, Paul describes love not as a feeling but as a sust...