"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (I Corinthians 13:4-7).
Perhaps some of the best-known and best-loved verses in the New Testament, these lines remind the faithful of the gentle, forgiving and sacrificial nature of love.
When the apostle Paul wrote this to the people of Corinth, the Corinthian church was "emphasizing a good thing, spiritual gifts" — but were "using their gifts apart from love," according to Christian website Bibe.org.
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"Paul makes the point that the use of their God-given gifts would amount to nothing if the Corinthians did not make love their priority," the site notes.
One South Carolina faith leader says that this whole chapter from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians is commonly referred to as "the love chapter."
It is "the most concise summary of what it means to love another person," Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Indian Land, South Carolina, told Fox News Digital.
"It is a reflection of the love God has for us and the care he desires to give us," he also said.
While "contemporary notions of love" focus on self-fulfillment and subjective satisfaction, the apostle Paul "reminds us that true love is sacrificial and seeks the good of the one we love," said Fr. Kirby.
"Love is a willingness to die to ourselves for the good of the one we love," he continued.
"It is only in such a sincere gift of ourselves to others that we can truly know love and truly know ourselves."
Fr. Kirby said that while these verses are "immensely popular" for use at weddings, "the love chapter is true wisdom for every situation."
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The verses are "a call to authentic love," he said.
He also said, "It is an invitation to follow the path of true self-discovery. This portion of biblical wisdom reminds us that nothing is beyond love's power."
He added, "There is nothing love cannot conquer."
