Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. Post-feast of the Dormition; Holy Apostle Thaddeus; Holy Martyr Bassa (c. 305)
1 Corinthians 9:2-12; Matthew 18:23-35
Read 1 Corinthians 9:2-12
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Close relationships with other people are one of the main contexts in which we can experience the joy of being alive. But that closeness can sometimes uncomfortably reveal ourselves to each other. What do we do when the hurtful action of a friend makes clear to us something that would be of benefit for our friend to realize?
Helping someone with a hurtful matter that has manifested itself in our relationship with them without making it all about ourselves can be difficult. The very immediacy of what has happened can provide an effective context for greater self-awareness leading to growth in maturity / the very immediacy of what has happened can provide an unhelpful context for further hurt resulting from retaliation.
In today’s reading, the Apostle Paul uses the matter of the Corinthian church’s lack of financial support for him as an apostle, not to drum up support for himself but as an opportunity to call people to their full calling as Christians. Paul is adamant that he will not undermine his previous commitment to forego financial support; he had done so to not make his ministry vulnerable to false charges of financial opportunism. His primary commitment is to not “put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.”
Our feelings matter. They are not to be ignored. Sharing them with others is an essential part of the connection with other persons that we were made for. How we govern that sharing, though, can provide a powerful context for love to grow. Paul disciplines the manner in which he shares his feelings with the Corinthian church to provide a context in which they can, with greater awareness, choose to grow.