(Part 2 of Galatians 5:22)

“. . . And the greatest of these is love.” 1 Cor. 13

“Love gives not but itself and takes naught from itself.  Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed.  For love is sufficient unto love.  And think not that you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.” Kalil Gibran

Love.  What hubris to think that in one short blog I can even begin to address a topic that remains elusive and indefinable after all the attempts by the multitudes over the millenia who have written a myriad of volumes on the matter.  But here goes.

Love is of God.  And God is love.  The Spirit is of God.  And God is the Spirit.  Therefore Love is a gift of the Spirit.  In fact, we could call The Holy Spirit the Spirit of Love.

Like love, The Spirit is also indefinable and elusive.  The Spirit goes where it pleases, and so does love.  And perhaps that is what makes both so precious and profoundly unique. 

My dear mother used to say “Love goes where it’s sent, even if it’s in a cowpie.”  Now who would want that?  Perhaps the one who loves as God does!  Perhaps the one who allows The Spirit to lead, rather than following one’s own ideas, reasons, or desires.

The Spirit of Love is not logical.  The Spirit of Love does not create a ‘Pro’s and Con’s” list.  The Spirit of Love does not calculate or create a “game plan”.  The Spirit of Love does not manipulate or manage or maneuver. The Spirit of Love does not control or coerce.  In short, The Spirit of Love does not behave the way humans do.  The love chapter of 1 Cor. 13 best sums this up.  Inspired by The Spirit, St. Paul writes not so much about what Love is, but rather about what Love is not—the word for this is apophatic. Love goes beyond definition. Love is a mystery.  And that’s because God The Spirit is a mystery.  There is more that one can say about what God isn’t, than what God is.  Just like love.

Jesus revealed the mystery of God and love—at least partially.  And He did so by going to the people who were considered the cowpies of their day.  There’s most likely many reasons He did so, not the least of which is because they were the ones most desperate for love. They were un-lovable to everyone, except God!  And so the Spirit of Love, made visible in the person of Jesus, sought them out, and showed them what it is to be loved. And what did He demand in return?  Nothing.  And then He went the full measure by submitting Himself to the antithesis of love and giving Himself on the cross.  Golgotha.  There He was covered in the shame of sin, and specifically I mean the sin of human beings failing to love themselves and one another.  “Love goes where it’s sent . . .  even if it’s in a cross.”

Perhaps this is the only predictable part of the Spirit of Love.  That it will be found in the most unlovable of people and places.  But rather than resenting that, The Spirit of Love rejoices in it.  Maybe the most familiar example we’ve seen of this during our time is that of Mother Teresa, who went to the lowest dregs of humanity so that she could love them to the end.  Following are some quotes of hers on love.

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

“I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I do know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will NOT ask, “How many good things have you done in your life?”, rather he will ask, “How much LOVE did you put into what you did?”

So dear friends, what do you believe about the Spirit of Love?

Where have you personally experienced this?

And what cowpie might that Spirit be leading you to?