The Wonder and Power of God's Love

"Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth." 1 Cor 1:26

When reminding the disciples of Jesus in Corinth that they were neither wise nor powerful nor of noble birth, St. Paul is not simply reinforcing the humility to which all the followers of Jesus are called, but reminding them that God can and will do great things through all of us despite our backgrounds, lack of education or wealth. 

How wonderful! God takes the ordinary in each of us and shapes if into something transformational for others. We have only to allow God to work in and through us as we are. God knows the gifts we have and they are not measured by human standards. In fact, what we might consider a weakness, God might call a strength.

The history of the bible and the church is replete with believers through whom God worked despite their weaknesses. David comes immediately to mind. So does St. Augustine who resisted God's work in and through him until God finally convinced him that it was not his learning that was important, but his humility. When Augustine finally let God teach him, he became one of the most important teachers in the history of the Christian west.

Today, let God use you as God wants.

Have you ever met anyone who seemed too weak to announce the Good News?

The Strength of God

"I give thanks to my God always on your account." I  Cor 1:4

St. Paul knows what it means to write to the churches he helped found in a manner that focuses on them and not on him. He thanks God for them, for their faith, their faithfulness and the good works they do on behalf of the gospel.

What a powerful lesson there is for us in his greetings to the church in Corinth!  When we learn to begin each day with gratitude and hold our thanks before us like a light, we provide hope for those living in darkness and are reminded that a life of faith is simple. We need always to walk in the light of Christ who will show us the path to hope and thanksgiving because, as Paul further reminds us, "The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."

Paul learned that his weakness, which often haunted him, was a gift which God could use to teach and form new disciples. When we accept this basic truth, our own faith lives become both easier and more intelligible. God will and does use our weaknesses to help others trust and let go into his hands.

Today, embrace your weakness and thank God for the gift of faith.

Have you experienced your weakness as a gift?

God's Fidelity

"God is faithful." 1 Cor 1:9

Paul's reminder at the beginning of his first letter to the church in Corinth is stark, but hopeful and consoling. That God is faithful, Paul insists, is the foundation of our faith. It is not our faith practices that save us, but the gift of faith given to us by God, and Paul knows that, from time to time, every community of believers needs to hear this. It is no less true in our families.

Knowing that our parents and siblings are faithful to us gives us the courage to let go and strike out of our own. While some leave home and country to escape an oppressive life, most of us are able to reach beyond our own homes and families because we know that wherever we go and whatever we do, our families will support us.

Paul uses this image to help us understand that God, like a father, will always be there for us, and even more than we can realize or fully appreciate. God is faithfulness itself. God cannot be otherwise and Jesus is the ultimate sign of this truth. Even when God's people lack faith and turn away from its practice and beliefs, God is waiting, like a forgiving father, (Lk 15) for our return.

Today, pause and remember God's faithfulness in gratitude.

What keeps you faithful to God and the gospel?

Martyrdom of John the Baptist

"He must increase, I must decrease." Jn 3:30

Readers of John's gospel cannot help but wonder whether John the Baptist understood fully the import of his words about decreasing so the Christ could increase. Did he know he would die for the sake of the gospel? Surely he had enough time in prison to know that his prospects for a full life with Christ were small, and the evangelists remind us that it was John the Baptist's death that pushed Jesus to begin his public ministry.

When we are young and distant from the reality of our own death, it can be easy to make promises the depth of which we cannot really appreciate, but when we grow older, we know. If we are going to live the gospel with integrity there will be a price. The Good News might be good but it is not easy.

Living simply, avoiding wealth and power of a kind that fools us into believing we are in control of our own lives and futures is a great challenge. So many of us, sounding other centered, tell everyone that we are willing to endure whatever a gospel life brings, but we do not want to be a burden to others. How shallow these words can be upon reflection.  Allowing others to care for us as we would for them is essential to a fully human and gospel life. Not taking that care for granted is also important, but life must be accepted no matter what it brings.

Today, decrease so Christ can increase.

How do you manage the daily diminishment that comes to us all?