Sunday, June 14, 2015

Resistance to Grace

"I say this not by way of command, but to test the genuineness of your love by your concern for others." 2 Cor 8:8

Not infrequently, we intuit that something is wrong, incomplete or lacking in our personal or communal lives. Not easily identified, we sense the need for change even when we are not sure exactly what changes we should make, and this not knowing can led to paralysis.

When St Paul senses this struggle in the Corinthian community, he reminds them that the believing community in Macedonia asked, even begged, despite their own struggles, to help those who were preaching the Gospel. Would the Corinthians accept the invitation to let go of their resistance and respond beyond their means to the needs of the leadership and the community?

Stubbornness can be powerfully disruptive and undermining of the community's life and purpose. Those who use their energies to resist the positive direction the community needs to take for the sake of the Gospel make everyone's life more difficult. They question everything and everyone, and often intimidate those who find it difficult to speak under the best of circumstances. When this happens to us, an examination of conscience is in order.

Today, ask God to change your attitude.

What areas of your faith life do you most resist?

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