In God Makes the Rivers to Flow; An Anthology of the World’s Sacred Poetry & Prose, Eknath Easwaran includes a selection from Saint Paul entitled “Epistle on Love.” I’ve written the following poem-like reflections inspired by this selection.
Love Is….
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
—Saint Paul
According to Saint Paul, love is greater than faith, love is greater than hope. We are nothing without love. We gain nothing without love. Our speech is just noise without love. And I wonder how to claim love in my soul, how to be nothing but love, as God is pure love.
I know love. Love is the feeling I had when I held my niece for the first time. Love is holding my nieces’ hands at the edge of the road and saying, “Stop, look, and listen.”
Love is baking my mom a pie for her birthday. Love is sharing my ice cream. Love is my mom making us masks during the outbreak of COVID-19. Love is birthday gifts. Love is the meals my mom shares with me on Sundays. Love is the trips my parents took us on when we were children.
Love is violin and piano lessons. Love is going to the grocery store together when we could have been apart. Love is meeting my brothers and their wives for a video chat when we can’t be together. Love is calling a friend just to say hi. Love is watching movies together. Love is watching tv together. Love is going to church together.
Love is lots of things: connection, sacrifice. Love is what gives life meaning. Without love, we have nothing.
And so I long to love. I long to demonstrate unconditional love. I long to forgive every wrong, do good to those that harm me. I long to serve the highest good. I long to make a difference in somebody’s life.
How will I know if I have loved well? If I give myself wholly to love, I give myself wholly to joy, I give myself wholly to peace. I will know I have loved well, if I have peace and joy in my heart.
