The Holy Martyrs Galaction and Epistemis
2 Corinthians 5:1-10; Luke 7:1-10
Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Sometimes when we turn on the news or look at “what’s trending” on the internet we can become discouraged by how difficult things seem to be going at the present moment. I’ve always believed that one of the strongest arguments for the existence of God is the existence of evil which itself needs no proof at all!
Far from being an opportunity for discouragement, St. Paul sees the trials he endures as a confirmation of the gospel and an encouragement for his missionary work. The “outer man” might be suffering and even wasting away but the “inner man” is being confirmed and strengthened.
St. John Chrysostom sees our suffering in this world as a joining with the sufferings of the Lord:
What is the death of Jesus which they carried about with them? It is the daily deaths which they died, by which the resurrection also was shown. This is another reason for the trials, that Christ’s life might be manifested in human bodies. What looks like weakness and destitution in fact proclaims his resurrection. (Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians, 9.1)