Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost; Octoechos Tone 2; The Holy Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens; Our Venerable Father Francis of Assisi.
2 Corinthians 11:31-12:9; Luke 6:31-36.
Read 2 Corinthians 11:31-12:9
Having to respond to unfair or malicious criticism can be maddening and wearying. When people and things we care about are put at risk due to us being undermined, we can feel that we are between a rock and a hard place: God may be working through us, but other people may see only us with our personalities and sins; but to defend ourselves in what we’ve worked toward in faith can come across as defensive or unseemly self-promotion. This is the situation in which we find Paul in today’s epistle reading.
The poor man is beside himself. “I am talking like a madman,” he says. (2 Corinthians 11:23) His false-apostle detractors criticize him for being bold in his epistles but humble when face-to-face when what he is doing is acting with “the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:1-2) In contending for the spiritual lives of those he loves, if he doesn’t act like his self-aggrandizing opponents, he is thought less of; if he does, he makes it about himself instead of Christ. So, he boasts but, “of my weakness, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” He leans into the limitations he is being criticized for, submitting them to God.
Made in the image of God, we have intrinsic dignity apart from any utilitarian value others may place on us or agendas they have. Our uniqueness is manifested in the many things we do and the variety of ways in which we do them. Whether in relationships, work, or play, our gifts show up in the complex people we are, among others who may or may not get us. Entrusting ourselves and our work to God in faith gives them and us the opportunity to see Christ at work in us.