Love is what Love does January 31, 2010

My Dear People,

Today’s second reading reminded me of a scene from the movie Forrest Gump.  The young boy Forrest is on the school bus and a girl asks him, “Are you stupid?”  He answers, “Mama says stupid is what stupid does.”  Paul might echo that answer in the second reading.  Love is what Love does.  What does love do?

Love is patient, love is kind.

It is not jealous, it is not pompous,

It is not inflated, it is not rude,

it does not seek its own interests,

it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,

it does not rejoice over wrongdoing

but rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things,

hopes all things, endures all things.

Another favorite author of mine, Gerry May wrote once that love in inseparable from attention and that no one is incapable of love.

When I put these together, it seems to me that if we pay close attention to anyone in a way that is patient, kind, not jealous or pompous or inflated or rude, not seeking our own interests, brooding over injury or rejoicing in the wrong, we will inevitably love them.

A good thirty plus years or more before there were any Gospels, Paul was building church communities and writing letters about the practical problems they were having.  It’s amazing how much love, gentleness, patience, kindness dominates these writings.

Make it a mantra for a while.  Love is what Love does.

Love,

Fr. Larry