In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he writes,
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
Why is love the greatest of all virtues?
Bernard of Clairvaux once said: “What we love, we grow to resemble.” These words give us a hint as to why love is greatest.
It’s in our nature to seek the greatest thing and we will never be satisfied until we achieve it. That’s why in 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul exhorts us to aim for the highest thing, the love that surpasses all else. A few verses before this one, Paul says that using spiritual gifts powerfully or doing great acts of service mean nothing if love is missing. Paul then proceeds to list the qualities of love. At the end he says, love endures all things, and love is the greatest.
Why is it the greatest? Because God is love. The very nature of the all-knowing, all-powerful and eternal Creator is to love. Is there anything greater than being like him? Is there anything greater than imitating him? Is there anything greater than loving like he loves?
In faith, we are able to see God; in hope we’re taken to the fulfillment of God’s promises, but only in love do we become like him. To what extent do you long to become like Jesus? Today, how can you love like he loves?
This reflection from Jerome Quiring is excerpted from the Pray by Day column featured in the Sword of the Spirit website.
Top image credit: An illustrated quote from Mark 12:23-24 with an artist image from Uplash.com, creative commons free to use license. Combined quote and image created by Living Bulwark staff artist.