Gullible Christians, like those in Corinth (modern day Greece), are very much taken up by the "display'' of the spiritual gifts of tongues, prophecy, and knowledge. However, St Paul reiterates strongly that "without love'' all this "display'' is nothing. To the Corinthians and to us too, St Paul drives home the point that love is everything!

Love is more defined in terms for St Paul; to reach the relational level of the Corinthians, he says, "love is 'always patient, kind; always ready to excuse, trust, hope, endure (and) delight in the truth' (vv 4, 7, 6). Continuing in the negative, St Paul says, "love is never boastful, conceited, rude, selfish, does not take offence, is not resentful and takes no pleasure in other people's sins'' (vv 4-6).

For all their fascination with their display of their spectacular spiritual gifts, St Paul pointedly tells the Corinthians that "the time will come when all gifts will cease. (v 8). Only true love does not come to an end".

Today, do we discover ourselves as loveless Christians? St Paul says, "without love, I am nothing'' (v 2). The Greek verbs in verses 4-7 are all in the present continuous tense. It means we are to habitually practise and possess these attitudes and actions, that they become our way of living. Why love? Because God is love (1 John 4:8). And simply because Jesus commands us to love (John 13:34).