RBWords

     Throughout this week, the first scripture of the day will be taken from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians.  Some scripture scholars think there is more than one letter included, but we'll leave that debate to them.  It is certainly one of his most personal communications.  Paul had worked hard to get the community in Corinth up and going.  He lived there a year and a half, and he was not at all happy at the thought that things were coming unraveled at times.  The plea I quote above puts it quite succinctly!

     Paul follows that plea with a list of the challenges that he has faced and endured on their account.  One an see that lots of people would be hesitant about "receiving the grace of God" if all those hardships were mentioned as part of becoming a Christian!  But Jesus continually warned the disciples that persecution would be part of following him, and Paul shared that fate and warned his converts the same way.  Just reading that list makes me grateful that I have not had to go through what he went through, even if itinerant preaching does involve some inconveniences at times!  At the same time, much of that list is currently the situation of our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Middle East and Asia.  So, we are not dealing with some ancient exaggeration.

     Paul worries that hardship will cause his followers to give up the grace that they have received.  In our comfortable country, recent surveys show many doing that simply because they ind the attractions of secular lifestyle more convenient.  There is no real suffering, just a kind of drifting away.  I hope that Paul's plea can get through!  AMEN