Thursday of the 11th Week of Ordinary Time
2 Cor 11: 1-11; Mt 6: 7-15
Deacon Larry Brockman
Listen again to these words Paul had for the Corinthians: “For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached…”. Then these words are followed by an appeal to the Corinthians to test and validate the preaching they have received. Paul goes on to make it clear that knowledge, real knowledge, and first-hand experience of God are the kinds of tests needed; not what the preacher charges for his services.
You see, Paul is clearly implying that the Corinthians somehow felt that these other preachers were more credible then Paul was because they charged for their services and Paul didn’t. We can relate to that because we are used to hearing “You get what you pay for”. But when it comes to knowing God; that just doesn’t apply.
I get the impression that the Corinthians had just been visited by some slick tongued, new wave preacher who preached a “New Jesus”, different from the one that Paul preached. It must have sounded good; maybe even made them feel good about themselves; but the question was- was it the truth based on real knowledge of God and his message for mankind? Paul claims knowledge and first-hand experience of Christ as his credentials; not a noble income for his eloquent words. And in the case of the Corinthians, Paul was not even requesting that the Corinthians defray his room and board. There was no question of an ulterior or self-serving motivation in Paul’s case.
We live in a pluralistic society, with the airwaves and the TV constantly bombarding us with messages. Secular voices and religious voices abound competing for our time all promising to be able to make sense out of life, or to make life better. For example, there are megachurches out there claiming to Minister to every aspect of life- children’s programs, programs for the elderly, and sponsorship of all kinds of social settings.
But I wonder if these organizations pass the tests that Paul just suggested to the Corinthians. Or are their messages short on knowledge of God, and big on what is convenient and pleasing to hear; all for the value of the contributions that keep them afloat.
You see, God’s message is not about meeting our worldly needs and wants. Rather, it is about meeting our spiritual needs. It would be great if the brothers and sisters in our Churches would be generous so that everyone’s worldly needs were met as well. But the main focus of our faith must always be on understanding God’s truth and then applying it.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus contrasts two styles of prayer. The first method is long winded, with lots of words. It apparently is pleasing to the ear as well. The second is remarkably simple and characterized by humility, concern for others, and truth. But it is the second style of prayer that we need to adopt as Christians, a humble and sincere desire for God and His truth. Once we understand and know God, then we can properly deal with social justice and meeting the worldly needs of others.
Most governments, and ours is no exception, have clearly shown that efforts to meet the physical needs and wants of the people go astray unless they have got the underlying motivation correct. That’s what Paul was trying to say. Teach the Jesus of the Gospel; preach the values of Christianity according to the Gospel; and then practice the values we preach and teach.
Sometimes this is harder to do than it seems because the truth is not acceptable to some people. But the truth has a nagging and stubborn quality about it. It doesn’t go away no matter how much one tries to water it down, because God is there to remind us through our consciences. Respect for God, respect for all life that he created; the sanctity of marriage; honesty; forgiveness, forbearance, and respect for authority- these are the kinds of values that God has preached through His Son Jesus to us in the Gospel.
All of these are based on love of God, and that calls for us to love our neighbors as ourselves. But it is not the other way around. It is not all about making others feel comfortable or accepted first. It’s about learning God’s truth first; and then loving our neighbors as God loves us by applying it.
Recently, we have been hearing echoes of the kind of preachers Paul warned the Corinthians about. They have been preaching a different Christ. They have suggested the Church needs to change its teachings to get with the modern world. The Church must stand firm for the truth. As Paul put it: “By the truth of Christ in me, this boast of mine shall not be silenced…”
Tags: Preaching credentials; Spiritual needs versus material wants and needs