The second reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, the fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time, is worth reflecting upon because it talks about love. It is a kind of checklist on us as to how much of a loving person we are. Maybe we can do an exercise.

St. Paul says: Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not proud. It is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick tempered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. (1 Cor. 13:4-7)

Now, let us read the passage again putting “JESUS” and “HE” wherever we find “LOVE” and “IT.” You can see that it read smoothly. You can still agree with every line of the passage. But what about if you read the passage again, this time substituting your name, “NN”, and the pronoun “I”. Do you still agree with every line in the passage? How do you score yourself on a scale of 1 to 10? That shows how loving a person you are.

This exercise is adapted from A Second Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, 46-48. Maybe as you do the exercise, it makes you pause for a while and say I feel bad that I am not that patient anymore or am too quick to get angry. Then it helps us to challenge ourselves to be more patient if we love those who are dear to us.

If we take a look at Jesus’ life and ministry, we will see that His whole life and ministry was centered on love, especially for the poor, the sick and the sinners. Never did we see Him condemning anyone, even if He encountered people who weren’t nice to Him. He would still be kind to them. This Sunday’s gospel is an example of this love. When His fellowmen were indifferent to Him saying, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”, He did not confront them. Instead, He brought up two events from the past showing God’s love for widows and lepers outside of Israel. He recalled the time of Elijah, how the widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon was helped, and the time of Elijah, how the leper Naaman, the Syrian was cleansed. Both were part of the Gentile community and yet God showed them love and care. This reveals how God’s love is universal and unconditional. I believe we are called to that.