Pure Love Remains

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Charity is the pure love of Christ. Pure love means when all of the bells and whistles are removed, when all of the fun and the easy and the natural parts are burned away, there at the heart of all, the pure love remains. When we have this pure love for someone else, nothing can separate us from them, neither heights nor depths, nor powers, nor principalities, nor life, nor death. When we have run out of sweet nothings to whisper in their ears or when we've shouted ourselves hoarse fighting with them, when all of the good words and the bad words have been said, when we can no longer speak with the tongues of men or angels, yet still, pure love remains. When the sparkle vanishes, and the music fades, and the band stops playing, and we can no longer hear the sounding brass or the twinkling cymbals, yet still, pure love remains. When we can no longer see what the future holds, when we can't look forward to tomorrow with anything but dead and unease, when we have lost the gift of prophecy regarding our future together, yet still, pure love remains. When there are no more secrets, no more mysteries, when we know and understand all the good and bad and beautiful and ugly and there is nothing left to learn about each other, yet still, pure love remains. When we have given everything and we have nothing more to give, yet still, pure love remains. When we've gotten fat, or bald, or disfigured, or maimed, or if our body is wasting away and burning up by some terminal disease, yet still, pure love remains. Like the Whos down in Whoville, we don't need ribbons or tags or packages or boxes or bags for love to come just the same. Paul said that if we have not this pure love then we are nothing. But at the same time, if we have nothing left, yet still pure love remains.