Love ENDURES... Patiently

I have been reading an interesting book, written by a 21st century Benedictine monk, who believes that "humility offers the antidote to the epidemic of stress and depression overwhelming modern young adults."

The book is full of paradoxes... like its title, Humility Rules...

Written for young adults, it reinforces the idea of paradox with fun illustrations - traditional religious art that has been modified and modernized - like the cover illustration, which is entitled: St. Benedict With Skateboard.

In one chapter, the author tells of preparing a sermon for the wedding of a friend. The theme of the sermon is love... a topic that pervades Valentine's Day, which we celebrated recently. Again, paradoxically, he talks of love in terms of forgiveness:

When it comes to living with someone, everything boils down to forgiveness. "Love is patient and kind... Love bears all things, believes all things, and endures all things. (I Corinthians 13: 4,7) So true love is more about endurance than it is about chocolates and teddy bears. We prove our love at precisely those moments when the people we love test our patience, put a strain on our kindness, and tempt us to anger. Love is truly love - and not just infatuation - when it proves itself in the crucible of suffering. 

I don't know if I realized it on my wedding day, but all these  years later, my response would be: So true!!