Holy Martyrs Mamas; Venerable Father John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople
2 Corinthians 13:3-13; Mark 4:35-41.
Read 2 Corinthians 13:3-13
St. Paul has to deal with a dysfunctional church community in Corinth. This community is filled with strife, rivalry, jealousy, evil speaking, gossip, arrogance and sexual immorality. Love and discipleship have broken down and so the community is testing his authority; regardless of the state the Corinthians find themselves in St. Paul still has a great love for them. His desire is that they repent and so he mourns over them. This is why he challenges them to test themselves to see if they are in the faith. To remember that Christ is in them. This challenge not only calls them to repentance but also reminds them that it was Paul who brought Christ to them. If Christ is truly in their lives then Paul is an authentic apostle and their father in the faith; therefore, they are the proof of his authentic apostleship.
The reminder to ‘test yourself’ is not only important for the Corinthians, but for all Christians. To ‘test yourself’ means: Examine your conscience, examine your faith and works and compare yourself to the Gospel Truth. Be ready to humbly repent and change what needs to be changed. The habit of regularly scrutinizing ourselves is like checking the compass/GPS to make sure we stay on track. Our life here on earth is given to us so that we work out our salvation and St. Paul says, do so “with fear and trembling.” (Phil 2:12). Let us approach our faith journey with humility and sobriety. To fail to do so may mean that we are shut out of the joy of the Kingdom.