In school I used to tell of Roman craftsmen, who made sculptures out of marble. If there was a crack or a flaw in the marble some would fill it with wax – which made the statue look perfect. On a hot day, the wax melted and the imperfections became evident.
The word ‘sincere’, I explained, is made from two Latin words ‘sine’ and ‘cera’; sincere means ‘without wax’. Nothing covers over the flaws; it’s completely genuine. I’d then talk about being sincere… truthful, honest, loyal… without wax.
After I retired I discovered that there ‘sincere’ might not have derived from ‘sine cera’… but when I told the story I sincerely believed that was its derivation!
This morning, reading Romans 12 where St Paul says, ‘Love must be sincere’ set me musing:
Pretend Love – Insincere love is self-centred, demanding, temporary. I see it around me; I see it in myself. It looks good and attractive, but when the heat’s on the wax melts and the flaws show. What does ‘sincere love’ look like? Paul gives some pointers:
Prioritised Love – ‘Be devoted to one another in brotherly love’. I see loving couples who’ve been married for many good years. Mental or physical health is deteriorating. Devotion prioritises the loved one. Personal wishes, desires, needs come second.
Proactive Love – ‘Never be lacking in zeal’. Love isn’t a warm, fuzzy feeling or kind generous thoughts. It’s energetic, active and enthusiastic, getting me off my backside, motivating me to act lovingly. It’s about what I do, not what I say.
Patient Love – ‘Patient in affliction’. Yesterday I was chatting to a friend whose husband had been through tough times. She could have walked away; she remembered promising to love him ‘for better, for worse’; she kept her promise.
Practical Love – ‘Practice hospitality’. Love in the ordinary and mundane doesn’t expect recognition or reward. It has open eyes that see the needy, open ears that hear the lonely, open hands that give generously, an open heart that loves sincerely – without wax.
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