From the pastor’s desk on the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year C
This Sunday’s second reading consists of Chapter 13 from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. It is perhaps the most frequently used fragment of the Sacred Scripture at wedding ceremonies. The reason is that it talks about a beautiful love and we really do like those warm and cozy words love is patient, love is kind… While looking at it within the perspective of marriage we usually think of romantic human love that should have all those traits that St. Paul pronounces. We must remember, however, that St. Paul was writings this letter to a specific audience with a specific context. He was not describing a human love, but God’s love - more specifically Christ’s love - that must be lived out by the Christian community.
This particular fragment of St. Paul’s letter should be read together with the preceding chapter, which we heard at Sunday liturgy for the last two weeks. Paul spoke about charisms or gifts imparted by the Holy Spirit on the early Christian community. What happened was, some really “gifted” members of the Church began to boast and argue about their specific spiritual gifts while losing their purposefulness, that is, the service for others, and began to take advantage of it thinking of themselves as better and “holier” than others. So, St. Paul admonishes those members of the Church to be more loving and kinder towards each other. Paul tells us that all the Church’s members bound by one faith in Jesus should enrich each other with their particular gifts while assisting the community, not boasting or being presumptuous.
St. Paul says that love (in Greek agape) must be put first as the greatest spiritual gift. He reminds us too, that it is more than any kind of human love; it is the highest form of love. It is God’s Love revealed in Jesus—the Crucified Love—for ultimately, all of the spiritual gifts stem from Jesus’ sacrificial love. We can even say that it is Christ Himself present in the midst of community as the gift of love, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). In the end, all the members of the Church are only invited to participate in and imitate Christ’s love.
In this context, I would like to invite you to do two things. First, recognize your spiritual gift or gifts. It may be something visible (e.g. ability to explain the Scriptures or talent for administration) or something hidden from people’s eyes (e.g. silent suffering for others). Give thanks to God for this gift and ask the Lord to help you to use it well for the service of our church. Secondly, start reading “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas á Kempis. It is a classic book of the Catholic spirituality, in which you will find words of great wisdom and a path to holiness. It will help you to understand what it means to imitate our Lord Jesus in your daily endeavors.
I wish you all a Blessed Week.
Fr. Janusz Mocarski, Pastor