{"id":26524,"date":"2026-04-24T01:23:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T05:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/?p=26524"},"modified":"2026-04-24T01:23:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T05:23:05","slug":"the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/","title":{"rendered":"The Greatest is Love, The Greatest is Love"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><h3><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_26645\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-26645\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-26645 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/664\/2026\/04\/couleur-forest-violets-4789959_640-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"purple violets like the ones at the Wildflower Reserve\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-26645\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">image via Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>I can\u2019t tell you what it\u2019s like to be a good Christian. But I can tell you a few things about nature, in northern Appalachia, in the springtime.<\/h3>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t seen nearly enough of nature this Spring. I had been so tired. I was finishing up my school year of classes at the church outreach, nearly done for the year but not quite. I was trying to get things in order to plant the backyard garden since it\u2019s nearly May. Meanwhile, Adrienne\u2019s latest passion is fitness, but she\u2019s a bit young to use the weight room at the community center by herself, so I ended up getting into fitness as well. That took a toll on me. I enjoy the cardio part of the twice-weekly discipline. Swimming laps is a wonderful, meditative exercise. I despise lifting weights. I hadn\u2019t lifted weights regularly since I was an undergraduate in Westerville twenty years ago, and I\u2019m far too old for this sort of thing now. My muscles felt like they\u2019d been run over by an ice cream truck. I wanted to stay in bed. But this is the end of peak ephemeral season for the year in Northern Appalachia. I had to make a pilgrimage to see the wildflowers, whether my sore muscles let me or not.<\/p>\n<h3>I got to the Wildflower Reserve, still feeling like death warmed over.<\/h3>\n<p>I changed into my hiking shoes that were still sandy from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/we-are-god-people\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">my walk through the tunnel<\/a> with Jimmy\u2019s boy. I asked Jesus to walk with me, and talk if He has anything to say. And then I stumbled onto the Jennings trail, to drink in the beauty.<\/p>\n<p>I got to the Wildflower Reserve a little late for the bluebells I\u2019d expected, but the trails were overrun with an ocean of violets and wild phlox.\u00a0 Phlox, in shades from cool periwinkle to nearly pink, carpeted the ground between the hickory trees all the way down to the skunk cabbage lining the vernal pool. Violets in deep purple, pure white, and butter yellow crept over every spot the phlox had neglected, and even clung to the mud and moss on the sides of rotting logs. The tiny little pale purple flower known as \u201cQuaker Ladies\u201d nodded in the breeze on the side of the trail. The magenta wild geranium winked at me from the shale banks of the crick. It was all so beautiful I couldn\u2019t possibly deserve it, and yet there it was, free of charge.<\/p>\n<p>There has never been a religion that wasn\u2019t embodied in a person. There isn\u2019t religion out there somewhere in its pure form, with no people mucking it up. There are only people, who practice religion. It takes a human to live a Christian life. You can\u2019t find a faith out in nature somewhere, where you could observe it and learn about it and delineate what it is, unattached to a messy human being. There has never been a faith that wasn\u2019t embodied, enculturated, inculturated, lived in, lived by, sometimes faltering, sometimes dying, sometimes rising from the dead inside of a human believer. That\u2019s what faith is. So I couldn\u2019t possibly tell you, in the abstract, what it\u2019s like to be a Christian. I can only tell you what it\u2019s like to be me, a Christian, smarting from self-inflicted muscle pain, wandering on a trail in western Pennsylvania, in April, in a country fast falling into ruin, in a world burning to death. It felt peaceful, majestic, and a little bit uncanny.<\/p>\n<h3>I think I prayed, but I don\u2019t even remember much of what I said.<\/h3>\n<p>I think I told Him what I usually do: that I\u2019m lonely and anxious, and always afraid He doesn\u2019t love me. Jesus answered in the way He usually does, with beautiful things. I walked through a patch of golden ragwort, a lovely yellow flower with a silly name. I stopped to watch robins hopping on the scrubby meadow grass. At one point, I heard rustling near the trail\u2019s edge, and bent down thinking I\u2019d see a chipmunk. I came face to face with a garter snake.\u00a0 He was quite fat for a garter snake, not at all ugly, with a bright yellow garter down his back. He looked astonished to see me, as garter snakes always do. Before I could get out my camera to take a photo, he retreated into the dry leaves.<\/p>\n<p>I guess a Christian is supposed to have a bad feeling about a snake in the middle of a glorious tree-filled sanctuary. That is, after all, how all the trouble entered into the world.\u00a0 A younger me would have wondered if the snake was a sign that God was angry, but I wasn\u2019t afraid just then. I like garter snakes. They keep the slugs under control.<\/p>\n<p>Hope is like faith: always attached to a person. You can\u2019t find a hope free-floating in space, unmarred by a human life. Hope is hoped BY somebody, IN something or someone, sometimes with good reason and sometimes in spite of good reason, sometimes swelling madly in the face of despair, sometimes disappearing for a time only to return later. That\u2019s what hope is. I can\u2019t tell you what it\u2019s like to have perfect hope in the mercy of a loving God. But I can tell you I have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2022\/03\/vidi-aquam-i-saw-water\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">felt total despair<\/a> more times than I can count, and just then I couldn\u2019t feel despair at all. In its place,\u00a0 I had a bit of hope.<\/p>\n<p>Getting up after bending to greet the snake was a bit of an ordeal. My muscles reminded me yet again that I was not a college student: I was a ridiculous chronically ill woman in her forties who needed to go home and take a nap. But I ignored them, and kept walking.<\/p>\n<p>I found my way down to Raccoon Creek itself: a shallow body of water, bigger than a crick, smaller than a river. The water ran noisily down between the pebbly shore where I was standing and a marvelous wall of shale, so nubbly and wrinkled and scarred. I wanted to try and climb that wall, knowing that I\u2019d only succeed in shattering the shale and slide down into the river with a wonderful noise: a rockfall of breaking shale sounds like bells, or ice breaking. I wanted to go wading in Raccoon Creek, even though it was below freezing two nights ago and water holds onto its chill for a long time after the air warms up. I wanted to drink the water, even though I\u2019m sure it would make me sick.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t remember where Raccoon Creek goes, but I think it must eventually run down into the Ohio river. The Ohio runs south to the Mississippi. The Mississippi runs all the way down to the gulf which opens out into the Atlantic ocean. The water is constantly flowing, pouring from the tiny little cricks into the tributaries, to the rivers, to the sea. The water was flowing long before I was born, carving riverbeds out of noisy shale rock, cutting its way through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2025\/06\/mountains-older-than-bones\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">mountains older than bones<\/a>. The water will go on flowing after I\u2019m gone. The water will flow, whether anyone\u2019s there to see it or not, unto the ages of ages, amen. But just then, at that moment in history, I got to see the water for myself, and it felt like a prayer.<\/p>\n<p><em>Vidi aquam egredientem de templo, a latere dextro, alleluia: et omnes, ad quos pervenit aqua ista, salvi facti sunt, et dicent, alleluia, alleluia.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>I saw water coming from the right side of the temple, alleluia, and all to whom the water came were saved. Alleluia, alleluia.<\/h3>\n<p><em>And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.\u00a0But the greatest of these is love.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The greatest is love<\/em>, sang the river, over and over again as it flowed by. <em>The greatest is love. The greatest is love. The greatest is love.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Love is different than faith and hope. Love is prior to everything else, and will exist after everything else passes away. Love doesn\u2019t need to be a part of a human person like me to be real: love is, Loveself, Three Persons. Love pours out into creation, moving mountains and making a way in the wilderness, whether there\u2019s anyone there to receive Love or not.\u00a0 That is why Love is the greatest. I couldn\u2019t say all there was to say about that Love. I can only tell you that I believe in love, and I have faith in love, and I hope in love. As sure as the wildlflowers return every year, and even after the wildflowers have ceased to be, Love Is.<\/p>\n<p>I think God loves me.<\/p>\n<p>I made my way\u00a0 back to the car, my muscles still aching.<\/p>\n<p>I drove home in the perfume of a glorious April afternoon, and all was well.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<p><em>Mary Pezzulo is the author of\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Meditations-Way-Cross-Mary-Pezzulo\/dp\/1949643433\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Meditations on the Way of the Cross,\u00a0<\/a><a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Sorrows-Joys-Mary-Pezzulo\/dp\/1955821828\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Sorrows an<\/a><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Sorrows-Joys-Mary-Pezzulo\/dp\/1955821828\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=&amp;sr=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">d Joys of Mary<\/a>, and\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.avemariapress.com\/products\/stumbling-into-grace?gclid=CjwKCAiA6aSABhApEiwA6Cbm_64-bP59YWJmFni-iGXq4KgITq1EU8hMvt9cV0qJvskRRmsTLYavURoC4SoQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Stumbling into Grace: How We Meet God in Tiny Works of Mercy.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"vwARt,GThGG,Wg6JZ,z8tZb,lLhMT,qUiAB,oc9v2,Jz8Jx,Qc8Pz,QxaLK,p8iiP,HKUhs,8l6Ux,hpFS7,5Fmr9,CvQdv,hBbfC,rIEEB,XwFDh,kM3PB,TzuWb,83oAW,6ueUH,N8wxc,tqr7Q,H2cG6,Xoekp,8u2Qc,lP5F0,AGx81,dzeGK,QtvXy,Zgs8D,E16Cj,PKXCv,fGkOS,GHPWL,jYysf,9eJVi,GKkQl,Z91kZ,yXSRp,7jzG5,oCpop,SnfSD,Dk8u2,rJFaX,7BRKa,Bf082,DY8dw,2KB3N,JJs3z,nXNAP,JT6mY,jPRaU,vde777,nz0uh2,yvy88t,gvu994,hyhw75,dnyxs0,66l5q6,0qkj8b,oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"LT0fO,xaGCg,pDjmp,xb0QT,vwARt,GThGG,Wg6JZ,z8tZb,lLhMT,qUiAB,oc9v2,Jz8Jx,Qc8Pz,QxaLK,p8iiP,HKUhs,8l6Ux,hpFS7,5Fmr9,CvQdv,hBbfC,rIEEB,XwFDh,kM3PB,TzuWb,83oAW,6ueUH,N8wxc,tqr7Q,H2cG6,Xoekp,8u2Qc,lP5F0,AGx81,dzeGK,QtvXy,Zgs8D,E16Cj,PKXCv,fGkOS,GHPWL,jYysf,9eJVi,GKkQl,Z91kZ,yXSRp,7jzG5,oCpop,SnfSD,Dk8u2,rJFaX,7BRKa,Bf082,DY8dw,2KB3N,JJs3z,nXNAP,JT6mY,jPRaU,vde777,nz0uh2,yvy88t,gvu994,hyhw75,dnyxs0,66l5q6,0qkj8b,oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<div class=\"main-post\">\n<div class=\"story-block\">\n<div id=\"main-content\" class=\"entry-content clearfix\" data-instance=\"EelCs,tcdp5,3LLRT,3Za4y,zW5Ro,kmFEj,WdWcS,tDDMD,AhxjP,LT0fO,xaGCg,pDjmp,xb0QT,vwARt,GThGG,Wg6JZ,z8tZb,lLhMT,qUiAB,oc9v2,Jz8Jx,Qc8Pz,QxaLK,p8iiP,HKUhs,8l6Ux,hpFS7,5Fmr9,CvQdv,hBbfC,rIEEB,XwFDh,kM3PB,TzuWb,83oAW,6ueUH,N8wxc,tqr7Q,H2cG6,Xoekp,8u2Qc,lP5F0,AGx81,dzeGK,QtvXy,Zgs8D,E16Cj,PKXCv,fGkOS,GHPWL,jYysf,9eJVi,GKkQl,Z91kZ,yXSRp,7jzG5,oCpop,SnfSD,Dk8u2,rJFaX,7BRKa,Bf082,DY8dw,2KB3N,JJs3z,nXNAP,JT6mY,jPRaU,vde777,nz0uh2,yvy88t,gvu994,hyhw75,dnyxs0,66l5q6,0qkj8b,oU7xiCdICU\" data-cmd=\"true\">\n<p><em>Steel Magnificat operates almost entirely on tips. To tip the author, donate to \u201cThe Little Portion\u201d on\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=9AJMKR8W7AWS2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">paypal<\/a>\u00a0or Mary Pezzulo on\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/account.venmo.com\/u\/Mary-Pezzulo-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">venmo<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-meta\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-meta\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-meta\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-meta\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-meta\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-meta\"><\/div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I can\u2019t tell you what it\u2019s like to be a good Christian. But I can tell you a few things about nature, in northern Appalachia, in the springtime. I hadn\u2019t seen nearly enough of nature this Spring. I had been so tired. I was finishing up my school year of classes at the church outreach, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2694,"featured_media":26645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,1],"tags":[645,260,18,15188],"class_list":["post-26524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-appalachia","category-uncategorized","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-love","tag-raccoon-creek-state-park"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Greatest is Love, The Greatest is Love<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The greatest is love, sang the river, over and over again as it flowed by. The greatest is love. The greatest is love. The greatest is love.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Greatest is Love, The Greatest is Love\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The greatest is love, sang the river, over and over again as it flowed by. The greatest is love. The greatest is love. The greatest is love.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Steel Magnificat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-24T05:23:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/664\/2026\/04\/couleur-forest-violets-4789959_640.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"427\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mary Pezzulo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mary Pezzulo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/\",\"name\":\"The Greatest is Love, The Greatest is Love\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-24T05:23:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-24T05:23:05+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/#\/schema\/person\/eefd606fd6f98b01cd46b38fcead458b\"},\"description\":\"The greatest is love, sang the river, over and over again as it flowed by. The greatest is love. The greatest is love. The greatest is love.\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Greatest is Love, The Greatest is Love\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/\",\"name\":\"Steel Magnificat\",\"description\":\"Everything is grace\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/#\/schema\/person\/eefd606fd6f98b01cd46b38fcead458b\",\"name\":\"Mary Pezzulo\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b65a50a237f24be80481c3e40cdc1c15?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b65a50a237f24be80481c3e40cdc1c15?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mary Pezzulo\"},\"description\":\"Mary Pezzulo received her BA in English at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. She came to Steubenville to earn a Master's degree in philosophy and Catholic bioethics from Franciscan University and had finished most of her course work before she suffered a chronic illness that derailed her university career. Since then, she's been learning from the school of hard knocks. Her essays on politics, faith, religious trauma, and life in Northern Appalachia, have been published in the Catholic Herald, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Convivium Journal, and the Feinschwarz theology blog. She has delivered lectures on the Uncanny in the field of aesthetics at the Power of Beauty Conference at Franciscan University, and the Terra Incognita Literary Gathering. Mary is the author of Stumbling into Grace: How We meet God in Tiny Works of Mercy, published by Ave Maria Press, which was awarded second place in Catholic Social Teaching from the Catholic Media Awards. She has also written Meditations on the Way of the Cross and The Sorrows and Joys of Mary for Apocryphile Press.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/author\/mpezzulo\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Greatest is Love, The Greatest is Love","description":"The greatest is love, sang the river, over and over again as it flowed by. The greatest is love. The greatest is love. The greatest is love.\u00a0","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Greatest is Love, The Greatest is Love","og_description":"The greatest is love, sang the river, over and over again as it flowed by. The greatest is love. The greatest is love. The greatest is love.\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/","og_site_name":"Steel Magnificat","article_published_time":"2026-04-24T05:23:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":427,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/664\/2026\/04\/couleur-forest-violets-4789959_640.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mary Pezzulo","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mary Pezzulo","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/","name":"The Greatest is Love, The Greatest is Love","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-24T05:23:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-24T05:23:05+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/#\/schema\/person\/eefd606fd6f98b01cd46b38fcead458b"},"description":"The greatest is love, sang the river, over and over again as it flowed by. The greatest is love. The greatest is love. The greatest is love.\u00a0","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/2026\/04\/the-greatest-is-love-the-greatest-is-love\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Greatest is Love, The Greatest is Love"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/","name":"Steel Magnificat","description":"Everything is grace","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/#\/schema\/person\/eefd606fd6f98b01cd46b38fcead458b","name":"Mary Pezzulo","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b65a50a237f24be80481c3e40cdc1c15?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b65a50a237f24be80481c3e40cdc1c15?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Mary Pezzulo"},"description":"Mary Pezzulo received her BA in English at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio. She came to Steubenville to earn a Master's degree in philosophy and Catholic bioethics from Franciscan University and had finished most of her course work before she suffered a chronic illness that derailed her university career. Since then, she's been learning from the school of hard knocks. Her essays on politics, faith, religious trauma, and life in Northern Appalachia, have been published in the Catholic Herald, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Convivium Journal, and the Feinschwarz theology blog. She has delivered lectures on the Uncanny in the field of aesthetics at the Power of Beauty Conference at Franciscan University, and the Terra Incognita Literary Gathering. Mary is the author of Stumbling into Grace: How We meet God in Tiny Works of Mercy, published by Ave Maria Press, which was awarded second place in Catholic Social Teaching from the Catholic Media Awards. She has also written Meditations on the Way of the Cross and The Sorrows and Joys of Mary for Apocryphile Press.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/author\/mpezzulo\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2694"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/steelmagnificat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}