It is doubtful that Saint Paul, when he sat down to write what we now know as the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, knew that he was penning what was to become one of the keystones of Christian ethics. In this brief passage, he set down ideals about love that have held fast through the centuries. Sometimes we may think that because these are ideals to which we aspire, we are excused from them in our daily living.

But what Paul was writing was a letter to his friends, providing them with some sound advice about what it meant—and still means—to live in love, day by day, as a follower of Christ. We find in his words to his friends a broadening of the great commands of Jesus to love God and neighbor. Today we hear what this love must look like in our own actions, and how it ought to guide our relationships with others.