Paul: Legacy of Love

About this article

This reflection focuses on how salvation was gained by Jesus for all through love of all.
[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:7)
Paul preached that the central message of Jesus Christ was love. Without love, no amount of faith or religious piety has any meaning. Paul emphasized that salvation is gained through God's grace and through faith in Jesus. These understandings of Christian love have inspired and challenged theologians throughout history.

Paul's legacy lives on in the Church today as it strives to live out the implications of true Christian love. Many homilies have been preached, many books have been written, and many debates have occurred in the pursuit of fully grasping the ramifications of Christian love. It seems so simple--love God with your whole being and love your neighbor as yourself--but it is so hard to do.

How do you try to live God's commandment to love?
God, help me live your commandment to love each day.
  • To go deeper: Read 1 Corinthians 13:1–13.

    • Acknowledgments

    (This activity is taken from Day by Day with People of the Bible: Reflections for Teens. Copyright © 2008 by Saint Mary's Press. Permission is granted for this activity to be used for classroom or campus ministry purposes. This activity may not be republished in any form without written permission from Saint Mary's Press. To order this book, contact Saint Mary's Press at 800-533-8095, or visit our online catalog at www.smp.org/catalog.cfm.)

    Published July 2, 2008.