The Holy Martyrs Adrian and Natalia (286-305); Vyshhorod Icon of the Mother of God (Our Lady of Vladimir)
Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
2 Corinthians 7:10-16; Mark 2:18-22
Read 2 Corinthians 7:10-16
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Although the Bible contains two letters of St. Paul to the Corinthians, internal evidence suggests that there were two other letters which have been lost, one chronologically before 1 Corinthians and one between 1 and 2 Corinthians called the “sorrowful” letter. In the few verses leading up to the beginning of today’s prescribed reading, Paul mentions this sorrowful letter: “For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I perceive that the same epistle made you sorry, though only for a while. Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing” (2 Cor. 7:8-9).
In today’s reading, Paul makes a distinction between “godly sorrow” and “the sorrow of the world.” Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation whereas worldly sorrow produces death. Paul mentions that when he had previously written to the Corinthians, he “did not do it for the sake of him who had done the wrong, nor for the sake of him who suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear to you” (2 Cor. 7:12). Paul’s concern was not so much for the particular individuals in the sorrowful situation but rather that in spite of the bad situation, his paternal, spiritual care for the community might shine forth.
When we experience sorrow and shame for something we have done but that sorrow is motivated by our own embarrassment and self-centeredness, it does not lead us to produce fruitful change and repentance in ourselves. However, when we experience sorrow which motivates us to amend our lives out of love for God, this is a godly sorrow. When we experience regret for the actions we perform or the thoughts we choose to dwell on, let us pray that we may experience godly sorrow. Let us not be prideful and self-centred and worry about the possibility of our reputation being tarnished, but rather let us allow our mistakes to serve as fuel for us to intensify our devotion to God and our love for God and one another.