The Secret

First Reading: Col 1:24–2:3
Psalm: 62:6-7, 9 -- In God is my safety and my glory
Gospel: Lk 6:6-11

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God's stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory. - Colossians 1:24-27

Friends,

In today's reading, Paul is speaking to the Colossians, a community of believers that he had never met. He is sharing with them what is necessary for them to understand the importance of the gospels and how the good news of Christ relates to them. In this small section, he is speaking of his role in ministering and revealing to them "the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past".

Christianity is very interesting when it comes to discussing this mystery of our relationship to God and His relationship with us. As a community, we are not called to keep this secret to ourselves until the initiates have passed through rituals or proven themselves worthy. Rather, we proclaim the mystery of the word of God from the rooftops and share our great secret with everyone who has ears to hear. Ours is an open secret, all are called to know it, but not all will understand or accept it.

And even though our gospel is veiled, it is veiled for those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. - 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Our secret is this: in Christ, we find all things. Through him, we understand the mysteries of God's love for us. With him, we discover the depths of that love. In him, we find our hope for a restored relationship with our Creator. Not only that, but also the knowledge that he is with us and in us, to build that relationship, that the riches of his glory are to be shared with us. Our secret is truly one to be treasured and shared.

For this reason, we are always thankful for the ministers of the gospel; those who, like Paul, speak to anyone and everyone about the secrets of the ages, revealed in Christ. Let us pray that they be strengthened as they spread the word about The Word of God made flesh.

Heavenly Father, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. We thank you for our priests and missionaries, who share your word with us and spread the gospel to the world. Lord, grant that we, also, might be ministers of your word; a living testament to the gospel. Prepare us, that we might be always ready to share the secret of Christ's love. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Generosity

First Reading: 2 Cor 8:1-9
Psalm: Ps 146:2, 5-9a -- Praise the Lord, my soul!
Gospel: Mt 5:43-48

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

Friends,

In today's reading, we hear Paul sharing the deeds of those in Macedonia (modern-day Greece). Specifically, he is telling the Corinthians of the donations made to the community in the holy lands. He speaks of how they, even though ill-equipped to give at the time, insisted on sharing what they had with those in Jerusalem.

We are often tempted to push donations onto others, especially when finances seem difficult. Recently, we've seen a great upheaval in the economic world and, unfortunately, the first thing to go is usually charitable donations. We feel that we don't need to give, or give as much, because we are now in hard times. This causes a one-two punch on the charities themselves, as more people request help, but fewer offer help to keep the charities going.

We must learn a lesson from the Macedonians in this instance, and not only from them, but from Paul's use of their example. C. S. Lewis put the crux of the issue nicely, (read the whole section here):

I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

When Paul is recalling this event to the Corinthians, he is using it as an encouragement, almost daring them to do better. "Now as you excel in every respect, ... may you excel in this gracious act also," (2 Cor 8:7). He also stresses that this is not an order, but a test of their own generosity. In our communities today, we should also be encouraging other in our giving. It is a form of competition where there are far more winners than losers. This can be a tall order for us, as some want to receive awards for their donations, while others want to keep it a secret. Granted, it is a difficult balance between humility and encouragement, but one that we must become more comfortable with. We must cease to see ourselves as the afflicted and instead see ourselves as the greatly blessed.

For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood. - Matthew 12:44

And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' - Matthew 25:40

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of this day. We thank you for all of the great gifts that you have showered down upon us. Help us to share these gifts with others; gifts of time, talent and treasure. Lead us in a spirit of generosity, that we might spread the greatness of your bounty to all of our brothers and sisters. Give us the spirit of wisdom to balance generosity and humility to recognize that all blessings flow from you and not from ourselves. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

The Christian Lot

First Reading: 2 Cor 6:1-10
Psalm: Ps 98:1, 2b, 3-4 -- The Lord has made known his salvation
Gospel: Mt 5:38-42

But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. - Matthew 5:39

We are treated as deceivers and yet are truthful; as unrecognized and yet acknowledged; as dying and behold we live; as chastised and yet not put to death; as sorrowful yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet possessing all things. - 2 Corinthians 6:8b-10

Friends,

In today's reading, Paul is speaking to the community of faith in Corinth about endurance in the faith. He is encouraging them to hold fast, despite the many hardships and unfairness that will come their way.

Paul begins by telling the Corinthians "not to receive the grace of God in vain" (2 Cor 6:1). He then moves on to giving lists of challenges that they will face and the ways in which they must stand against them. But why? Why must the Christian face so many attacks from all sides, and why must we respond to those unjust attacks with kindness?

It isn't like we weren't warned. Jesus tells us in the beatitudes: "Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me," (Mt 5:11). Again, in John 15:19: "If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you." Again and again Jesus tells us that we will not see the day when the world will treat his followers fairly. Anyone who takes the title of Christian must accept that it will be so.

But be not afraid of the difficult times. If we accept that, as Christians, we will be persecuted in this life, so too, we accept the promises of Christ. "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven," (Mt 5:12a). Do not accept the gifts of the Spirit in vain, refusing to share them with others. Be prepared to give of them freely and to demonstrate what it means to truly be a Christian.

This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. - John 13:35

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gift of this day. We are grateful for your ever-abundant love for us. Grant that we might share the gifts of the Spirit that we have been given with our brothers and sisters here on earth, so as to glorify your holy name. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Encouragement

First Reading: 2 Cor 1:1-7
Psalm: Ps 34:2-9 -- Taste and see the goodness of the Lord
Gospel: Mt 5:1-12

If we are afflicted, it is for your encouragement and salvation; if we are encouraged, it is for your encouragement, which enables you to endure the same sufferings that we suffer. - 2 Corinthians 1:6

Friends,

Encouragement seems to be the word of the day for Paul in today's reading. He uses it ten times in five verses. The constant repetition caused me to get confused as I read it through, so I had to go back and re-read it several times before it made sense. Once it did, I realized that there was not really any other way it could have been stated.

What Paul is telling us is definitely not obvious at a first glance. Common sense (and self-preservation) tell us that if someone is suffering for something, then we should avoid that behavior. However, on a second look, and in context, it makes perfect sense that the suffering Paul speaks of is a very encouraging thing.

To demonstrate, let us set up a simple scenario: a group of children are playing on the playground. One of the larger boys pushes a younger girl down and laughs at her. Her brother notices this; he stands up for his sister and prepares to fight, even though he knows he cannot win a fight against the larger boy. The immediate reward that he receives will likely be a bloody nose, or mockery, or any of a number of playground cruelties. On the other hand, the other kids on the playground will see that someone is willing to stand up to the bullies. Perhaps other brothers will take a stand for their siblings the next time they are bullied.

This is the example of the saints and martyrs. Tertullian's famous statement that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church," is a fact that we can see played out across history. When a follower of Jesus was publicly put to death, some of the people in the square wanted to know who this Christ was that people would rather die than denounce him. What was so powerful about their testimony is that they were (and are) willing to suffer in order to encourage others to be strong in their faith.

Our hope for you is firm, for we know that as you share in the sufferings, you also share in the encouragement. - 2 Corinthians 1:7

Heavenly Father, all glory and praise to you for your greatness. We thank you for the gift of this day. We thank you for our many brothers and sisters throughout history that have given their testimony and encourage us even now. We pray for those in the world who are suffering because of their faith in Christ, that they remain firm. Help us to encourage them in their time of need, as they encourage us in our life of faith. Embolden us, that we might stand fast and encourage others to stand up for their belief in your Son. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen