The Ultimate Gift

“I thought I had already considered everything about Love when I came across Henry Drummond’s sermon. From the moment I read his words, I tried to put his teachings into practice, and my life changed fundamentally,” wrote Paulo Coelho about the text that inspired him to write the book The Supreme Gift. “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” Every one of us has heard this passage from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians at some point, but have we truly understood its message? At the end of the 19th century, a young missionary named Henry Drummond was called upon to replace a famous preacher. And although at first his audience listened with mistrust, they were soon captivated by his interpretation of the words of the apostle Paul. The sermon The Greatest Thing in the World became a classic text, undoubtedly one of the most beautiful ever written about love. Drummond divided it into nine parts: patience, kindness, generosity, humility, gentleness, devotion, tolerance, sincerity and innocence. Contrary to what we are used to hearing, he does not consider faith to be the greatest treasure of the spiritual life, but love. Regardless of which religion you profess, it is these feelings that will enrich your life the most. In The Supreme Gift, Paulo Coelho, drawing on Drummond’s text, offers a truly powerful message that will help us incorporate love into our daily lives and experience its transformative power.