Quinquagesima - 20 Feb 1955 / 24 Feb 1963
20 February 1955, St. John’s College / 24 February 1963, St. John’s College
1 Corinthians 13: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
No passage in the Bible is as well known as the Quinquagesima Epistle – the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians. There can be but few pieces of writing in the world which have so captured people’s imagination as this lyric in praise of Love from the pen of St. Paul. It describes the gift and supremacy of love. Bishop F.R. Barry describes this chapter as ‘the Sermon on the Mount rewritten in the light of Pentecost’. From this passage we learn that Love has three features.
There is its unique importance, as St. Paul states in introducing this chapter. In the last verse of chapter 12 as an introduction to the 13th chapter, the apostle writes, ‘But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way.’ Of all the gifts, ‘Love’ occupies a place of unique importance. St. Augustine says, ‘No fruit is good which does not spring out of the root of love.’
We have the unique character of love described for us in the verses 4 – 7. Those verses should be read as referring to Christ, each phrase being characteristic of Him in His perfect selflessness. The unique character of love is described for us in these words. Let us have it from the translation of J.B. Phillips : ‘This love of which I speak is slow to lose patience. It looks for a way of being constructive. It is not possessive. It is neither anxious to impress, nor does it cherish inflated ideas of its own importance. Love has good manners, and does not pursue selfish advantage. It is not touchy. It does not compile statistics of evil or gloat over the weaknesses of other people. On the contrary it is glad with all good men when Truth prevails.
Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its life. It can outlast anything. It is in fact the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen.’ There is the unique value of love. Anything that is imperfect and not of lasting value will pass away. The three gifts which are not imperfect and do not pass away are faith, hope and love. Of these love surpasses both the others.
The love of which St. Paul speaks is not the sentimental, emotional experience which people call ‘love’. It is not the same thing as that love which is best denoted by the word ‘affection’ – the love which we feel towards our nearest and dearest and towards our closest friends. The love about which St. Paul speaks is a matter of the will rather than of the heart. It is the direction of the will towards all men, whether they are our friends or enemies, whether we like them or not. It is a steadfast will to good which covers all our relationships to them.