The greatest is love.

     The well known passage from Saint Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 12:31 - 13:13, is all about love.  Often used at weddings, it's powerful message goes well beyond newlyweds and stands at the heart of the Christian message and the essential component of Christian life.  We heard this passage in the first reading of today.  Paul says that EVERYTHING depends upon love - Christ's love for us ... our love for Christ.  He beautifully describes love as being patient, kind, not jealous, not pompous, not inflated, not rude, not jealous or quick tempered, not brooding or rejoicing over wrongdoing.  Love rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things and never fails.  All gifts of God pale in comparison with love, because God IS love.  He reminds us that the three primary gifts or virtues remain - faith, hope and love.  But he also reminds us that the greatest of these is LOVE.  In a world that embraces the opposite in so many ways, it is good to be reminded of this basic truth of our lives.