Love is...

This poem was ancient long before Shakespeare was born or Whitby Abbey was built but our translation is definitely 21st century and perfect for today's bride and groom looking for a reading for their wedding ceremony!

I may be able to speak many languages, even the language of heaven itself, but if I am unloving, I am no more than a clanging gong or a crashing cymbal.

I may have the gift of prophecy, with a clear understanding of religious mysteries and of intellectual wisdom; I may be so full of faith that I can remove mountains but, if I am unloving, I am a complete nobody.
I may give all my possessions to the poor and sacrifice my body to be burned in the flames, but it will do me no good if I am unloving.

Love has a wonderful capacity to keep going. Love is kind. Love is not jealous, arrogant or boastful. Love is always appropriate. Love seeks nothing for itself. Love has a long fuse. Love never holds a grudge and takes no pleasure in any kind of wrong. Love finds its joy in truth and, whatever the circumstances, it remains protective, trusting and full of hope. Such love never lets anyone down...

When I was a child, my speech, my thoughts and my reasoning were those of a child. But when I became an adult, I put childish things behind me...

To sum up - faith, hope and love are what really last, these three; and the greatest of them is love.

Extracts from I Corinthians 13

Translated by Rev Alan A Pain, BD, MPhil, MTh

All you need to do when you use our translation is credit this website by printing these words in your order of service or ensuring they are read immediately after the reading: © whitbywedding.co.uk