HOME WORK ON LOVE (Second reading of the fourth Sunday of the year)

The passage we have today in the 2^nd reading, 1 Corinthians 13, is one of the best texts on love that you can find in the Bible. If you want to know what true love is, read that chapter over and over again. Many times in church we speak about the importance of love. In fact, we cannot speak too much about love because in the Christian life, love seems to be everything. Even God, we are told, is love. Today, however, I would not like us to listen to another speech on love. I would rather like to propose to you some practical exercises on love.

A Checklist on Love

How much of a loving person are you? An exercise based on this reading helps us to find that out easily. The text, taken from the New International Bible, version reads:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 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. Next 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.

A Homework on Love
(Adapted From A Second Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, 46-48.)

An adult education teacher once gave his class an assignment to go to someone they love before the following week's class and tell them that they loved them. They would then give their report at the next class. It had to be someone to whom they had never said those words before, or at least not for a very long time. At the next class, one man stood up and recounted his story to the class. "I was quite angry with you last week when you gave us this assignment. I felt like, who were you to tell us to do something so personal? But as I was driving home, my conscience started talking to me. It was telling me that I knew exactly who I needed to say “I love you” to.

Five years ago, my father and I had a terrible argument which we have never resolved. We have avoided seeing each other unless it was absolutely necessary and even then we hardly spoke to each other. So last week by the time I had gotten home after class, I had convinced myself to tell my father that I loved him. It’s strange, but just making the decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest. When I told my wife, she jumped out of bed, gave me a big hug and for the first time in our married life saw me cry. We sat up half of the night talking and drinking coffee.

The next day I was up bright and early as if I had slept soundly all night. I got to the office and accomplished more in a couple of hours than I had the whole day before. At 9AM, I called my father to tell him I wanted to come over after work and talk to him. He reluctantly agreed. By 5:30, I was at the house. When my father answered the door, I didn't waste any time. I took one step inside and blurted out “Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.” Well, it was as if a transformation had come over him. Before my eyes, his face softened, the wrinkles seemed to disappear and he too began to cry. He reached out and hugged me, saying “I love you too, son, but I’ve never been able to say it.” My mother walked by just then with tears in her eyes. I didn't stay long, but I had’'t felt that great in a long time.

Two days after my visit, my dad, who had heart problems but hadn’t told us, had an attack and ended up unconscious in the hospital. I still don’t know if he’ll make it. So my message to all of you in this class is: don’t wait to do the things you know need to be done. If I had waited, I may never have another chance to do what I did."

And so my friends, your homework for this week is, go home and tell someone you love them before next Sunday. And it has to be someone you really love, but to whom you have never said those words before, or at least not for a very long time now. One day it will be your turn to tell us your own wonderful story of love.