One Love

"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude..."

The rest of this passage from Paul's letter to the Corinthians graces itself on cards and mugs, on wedding favors and bookmarks. These words aren't hard to embrace in the afterglow of a wedding reception or a powdery stationary store. But I wonder how often these verses leap off from scented, floral paper and daintily inked script to scream into our souls as we rage, as we jealously guard self and demand on our own way, in those moments when we do everything but love. In those moments we need them.

At times in my life, this passage has given me a hope and beauty to aspire to, confirmation of a beauty I thought I'd achieved. Now they have become words that reveal all that I'm still not. They're words that live, that cut soul from spirit, joint from marrow. They tear apart to mend together. They reveal the impossibility of a beauty we still hope to claim, and the grace to cling to a death that we have spent all our lives fighting. It's the death of me. It's the death in which we'll finally live.

Here's a analysis on U2's One by Stephen Catanzarite that reflects on the song's meaning in light of Paul's words:

Lyrically, "One" is a conversation. It is the kind of conversation lovers often avoid having, those that can quickly overwhelm the peace and tranquility of even the most stable of households. Though its title suggests unity, the lyrics speak of difference. One of the many consequences of the Fall is the disintegration of our natural unity. We are at enmity with God, with each other, and with ourselves. In a Fallen world, love is not cheap, it does not come easy. Consider what the Bible has to say about love, in the words of the Apostle Paul:

"Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Try not to let the familiarity of those words get in the way of what they have to say. These are not the romantic couplets of a greeting card. These words, like love itself, present us with a challenge. They call on us to reach beyond ourselves, beyond our selfishness, to rise above our fears, and to overcome our weakness. Not just for our sake, but for the sake of others. "One" boldly confesses that it is practically impossible to live up to that challenge. Yes, love is patient and kind, but we are jealous, arrogant, and rude. Even in adversity love truly does endure, but we want everything to go our way—and we bitch and moan the minute that does not happen. Like all good poetry, "One" shows rather than tells us how easy it is for the bitter to overcome the sweet.

The rest of the lyrics to the song, from two entries back. They didn't seem to fit then, but they seem to now.

"One"

We're one
But we're not the same
Well we
Hurt each other
Then we do it again

You say
Love is a temple
Love a higher law
Love is a temple
Love the higher law
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt