Homily Twenty-first Thursday of Ordinary Time (1 Corinthians 1:1-9) “Paul, Promoter of the Gospel
Homily Twenty-first Thursday of Ordinary Time (1 Corinthians 1:1-9) “Paul, Promoter of the Gospel
Corinth was a Greek city located on a narrow stretch of land with the outlets to the Mediterranean Sea on each side of the city. We could compare it to Panama which has the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.
There was no canal at Corinth, however. If a boat could cross over the little stretch of land dividing the sea it saved a lot of time and it was a lot safer than sailing around the southern tip of Greece many miles to the south.
The ancients came up with a novel solution. They would take the ships out of the water and drag them across the land on rollers and put them back in the sea. This practice made Corinth a major crossroads in the ancient world. It was a cosmopolitan city with people traveling through it all the time.
St. Paul knew all this and wished to establish the Christian faith in Corinth so that news of Christ would be carried far and wide. He spent 18 months in Corinth. At first, he preached to the Jews there, but when they rejected him, he began to convert gentiles.
We begin reading Paul’s letters to the Corinthians at our daily Mass today. They are written after he leaves the city. The Corinthians were disagreeing among themselves on multiple issues. Paul tries to remind the Corinthians about Christian charity. Much of what the church in Corinth was fighting about were issues that can be seen in any church at any time.
It is hard to live in community. We are reminded by Paul’s writings that people do not always get along. We like to divide ourselves into camps. Paul askes the church he founded to remember that they are to imitate the Love of Jesus Christ.
Reflection Questions:
- Where would Paul go today to preach the Christian message? Would it require different tools than were used in his day?
- How do I feel about belonging to communities and groups? Do I avoid them or embrace them?
Dear Parishioners,
We have several current events that are most distressing right now. First, we have the COVID 19 pandemic. Three more people died in our community in the last day and we had over a thousand deaths in our country in the last 24 hours.
Racial tension continues to be high. There has been another shooting in Wisconsin this week. We wonder how the violence can happen repeatedly.
Finally, we have the elections that we will happen soon. Our nation is really divided and troubled. I would remind people, once again, that we are having a Novena on Fridays to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We are also doing penance for the social sins of our country. I would invite everyone to join us in prayer on this Friday. The novena prayer will be recited after the morning Mass and fasting, and abstinence can be observed throughout the day.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over everyone today.
Fr. Mark