the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
This biblical passage, found at Proverbs 31:1-20, celebrates the virtues of the ideal wife. It is consequently often quoted at wedding celebrations.
The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
No, my son! No, son of my womb! No, son of my vows!
Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine,
or for rulers to desire strong drink; or else they will drink and forget what has been decreed, and will pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to one who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress;
let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more.
Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute.
Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor
and needy.
A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no
lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food
from far away.
She rises while it is still night and provides food for her
household and tasks for her servant-girls.
She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands
she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp
does not go out at night.
She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands
to the needy.
(New Revised Standard Version)
Father, hear the prayer we offer
Love Maria Willis was a doctor’s wife of Rochester, Mew York. Though a popular choice of hymn, the rendering of Psalm 23 in this hymn has raised some eyebrows over the years with its apparent contempt for the ‘green pastures’ and ‘still waters’ of the biblical source. In reality, the original psalm does not recommend the quiet life over one of righteous struggle.
Father, hear the prayer we offer;
Not for ease that prayer shall be, But for strength that we may ever Live our lives courageously.
Not for ever in green pastures
Do we ask our way to be; But the steep and rugged pathway May we tread rejoicingly.
Not for ever by still waters
Would we idly rest and stay; But would smite the living fountains From the rocks along our way.
Be our strength in hours of weakness,
In our wanderings be our guide; Through endeavour, failure, danger, Father, be Thou at our side.
Love Maria Willis (1824-1908)
Sir Henry Sidney served two terms as Lord Deputy of Ireland but is usually remembered today as the father of the celebrated soldier-poet Sir Philip Sidney. His parental advice, offered in a letter to his son while he was at school in Shrewsbury in 1556, has been much repeated over the centuries.
Son Philip,
I have received two letters from you, one written in Latin, the other in French: which I take in good part, and will you to exercise that practice of learning often; for that will stand you in most stead in that profession of life that you are born to live in. And now, since this is my first letter that I ever did write to you, I will not that it be all empty of some advice which my natural care of you provoketh me to wish you to follow, as documents to you in this your tender age.
Let your first action be the lifting up of your mind to Almighty God by hearty prayer; and feelingly digest the words you speak in prayer, with continual meditation and thinking of Him to whom you pray, and of the matter for which you pray. And use this as an ordinary act, and at an ordinary hour; whereby the time itself shall put you in remembrance to do that you are accustomed to do in that time.
Apply your study to such hours as your discreet master doth assign you earnestly…And mark the sense and the matter of that you do read as well as the words; so shall you both enrich your tongue with words and your wit with matter, and judgment will grow as years grow in you. Be humble and obedient to your masters, for, unless you frame yourself to obey others – yea, and feel in yourself what obedience is, you shall never be able to teach others to obey you. Be courteous of gesture and affable to all men, with diversity of reverence according to the dignity of the person; there is nothing that winneth so much with so little
