In the film “The English Patient,” Katharine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas) is introduced to Almásy (Ralph Fiennes), the Hungarian explorer. Katharine says “I wanted to meet the man who could write such a long paper with so few adjectives”
Katharine talks about love to illustrate the importance of adjectives: ‘Love – romantic love, platonic love, filial love. Quite different things, surely.’
Katharine’s husband, Geoffrey (Colin Firth), adds, ‘Uxorious – yes that’s my favourite kind of love – obsessive love of one’s wife.’
The scene could have come from a sermon, I’ve heard preached many times, on the four words used for ‘love’ in Biblical Greek …
‘Storge’ – family love; ‘Eros’ – romantic, sexual love; ‘Philia’ – love for close friends; ‘Agape’ – unconditional, giving love that doesn’t require recognition or reward.
1 Corinthians 13 often illustrates the ‘agape’ love: ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.’
Many more adjectives to illustrate Katharine’s point.
The breadth and intensely practical nature of love is described in Mark Twain’s ‘These I Can Promise’:
I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth, or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway
That leads away from change or growing old.
But I can promise all my heart’s devotion;
A smile to chase away your tears of sorrow;
A love that’s ever true and ever growing;
A hand to hold in yours through each tomorrow.
I’ve heard good sermons on ‘love’ – fine words, persuasively preached. The best sermon on love isn’t limited by adjectives – or any other words. Love’s best sermon is felt and lived out. It’s an intentional, practical – sometimes painful – choice, lived in and through the ordinariness, difficulties and challenges of daily life.
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