RBWords

     The Corinthian community had developed a kind of arrogance about it that made them forget where they came from!  Paul reminds them that they owed their very existence to his efforts as their "father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel."  In short, he was asserting his right, as a "founding father," to correct and challenge them to examine their behavior and return to their original fervor and discipline.  His words, "What do you possess that you have not received?  But if you received it, why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?" should give all of us something to think about.

     From the very beginning of time human beings have been known to forget that they owe their very existence to God.  The story of Adam and Eve is a wonderful biblical reminder.  Every breath we draw is a gift, even if the circumstances around us are difficult.  If, as the Corinthians did, we forget that we have RECEIVED the gift of life, we may take it for granted or even feel that we created ourselves, or that we have a "right" to exist!  Every killing is a defiant act because we are not the authors of life.  Our very ability to be defiant is a gift!

     The First Letter to the Corinthians lives on in biblical revelation to remind all of us where we have come from, how much we owe and not to take God's gifts for granted.  AMEN