Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary

When ridiculed, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we respond gently.

From the beginning of his letter, St. Paul has been addressing the Corinthians’ divisiveness. Evidently, some of them thought they were better than others because of which apostle they preferred: some followed Paul, some Apollos, and others Peter. If you read these opening chapters, you might feel that these divisions sound more like rivalries between celebrity fans than anything else. But they were serious, and they had begun to threaten the peace of the church there.

In today’s reading, Paul responds by painting a more realistic picture of the life of an apostle. Being an apostle is not like being a celebrity, he argues. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. “We are weak,” he says, and held “in disrepute” by the world (1 Corinthians 4:10). When they face ridicule, apostles “bless” instead of retaliating. They “endure” persecution when it would be easier to give up. And they “respond gently” even when they are slandered (4:12, 13).

That sounds more like Jesus than a celebrity! And that’s Paul’s point. Not just apostles, but all followers of Jesus are called to live in humility, generosity, patience, and gentleness. Following Jesus doesn’t make you a star. More often than not, it makes you “poor in spirit” and “meek” (Matthew 5:3, 5). It makes you “merciful,” even toward those who show you no mercy (5:7). And it puts you with the “peacemakers,” people who minimize conflict, not inflame it (5:9).

This is the life of discipleship that Jesus has called you to. And despite the hardships, it’s the most fulfilling and joyful life you could ever know. That’s because it’s a life lived in growing intimacy with the Lord. The closer you get to him, the more he fills you with his grace, his peace, and his love.

“Jesus, help me to be more and more like you!”

1 Corinthians 4:6-15
Psalm 145:17-21
Luke 6:1-5