Corinth is a major industrial city in Greece, with a canal that splits northern and southern Greece and joins the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. It has one of the largest oil refining industrial complexes in Europe. It was important in Gospel times, and has a history going back at least 700 years before that. There is a fascinating model on YouTube showing what it might have looked like when Paul visited. Click on the picture below of modern day Corinth to see the view in Paul’s time.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52043138
Even major cities in the time of Paul were small by modern standards. The Christian community that Paul founded in Corinth would have been much smaller than an average parish today, maybe 50 households at most to start with. And yet they were the recipients of some of the most extraordinary letters ever written.
Last week our Second Reading was taken from the first of these letters. Paul’s amazing reflection on the nature of the church and its relationship with Jesus (1 Cor 12:12-30) – the analogy with the human body is still thrilling 2000 years later. In today’s reading the letter continues with an even better known passage about Love and its relationship with the other cardinal virtues, Hope and Faith (1 Cor 12:31—13:13). This has been used in countless wedding ceremonies over centuries. I think it was probably in mine. (No I’m not going to check – that’s a bit too close to asking “Just remind me, where was it we went on honeymoon?” No….)
In it Paul says: “Love is patient, love is kind.”
So how does this relate to Jesus’ behavior when he visits his home town? He manages to upset people to the extent that they are willing to throw him off a cliff! (Lk 4:21-30)
Jesus loved these people. He loves everyone – he dies for everyone. But with these people he must have felt some special bond – he had known them for 30 years.
“Love is patient, love is kind.”
But love also speaks the truth. “Love rejoices with the truth.” Jesus was prepared to tell the people he loved the truth. He knew they wouldn’t like it, but he didn’t shy away from doing so. His love was not shown in pleasing them but in telling them what they needed to know – even if they weren’t able to accept it at that time.
We can easily become seduced by a sentimental view of love, born of Romantic poets and too many Hollywood movies. This is not what Paul is talking about. Love for Paul is strong, even fierce. There is no sighing and pining. This love can withstand death, death of a partner, even death of a child, our own death. Yes, love is kind, but love also “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”. This love is not for special occasions, for weddings and funerals. This love is for every day. We need it every day. This is the love Jesus demonstrated.