In today's first reading, what strikes me is what St Paul says, "We may be unfaithful, but He (God) is always faithful." It is a quiet assurance of who God is - faithful beyond our inconsistencies. Even when our love falters, God's love does not.

This reflects the first of the two most important commandments mentioned by Jesus in the Gospel today. Loving God first grounds us in the certainty that we are held and loved by a faithful God, even when we are unfaithful to Him. It shifts our focus from our self-reliance to reliance on God. When we root ourselves in this love, we are freed from the anxiety of proving ourselves through rigid correctness or constant self-justification.

The second thing that strikes me from St Paul is his warning against "wrangling about words." When love of God is primary, we no longer cling to arguments with others over minor details, as if salvation depended on winning debates. Instead, love shapes our speech and actions in relation to other people. It leads us to seek understanding rather than victory, charity rather than criticism. Thus, the second commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves calls for generosity of heart, patience in misunderstanding, and humility in disagreement. A love of God grounded in God's faithfulness becomes a love for my neighbours expressed in love, not in quarrels, especially over small matters.