Fourteen years before Paul wrote his Second Letter to the Corinthians, he had a mystical experience which brought him to the "third heaven", Paradise, where he heard "ineffable things, which no man can utter" (2 Cor 12: 4) Having experienced such bliss, you'd think his troubles were over, but earlier in the letter he listed a collection of trials and tests that make us shudder to read. No doubt his "heavenly visit" helped to trust that somehow he'd make it alive through shipwrecks and stonings, but nevertheless he did not escape the ravages of opposition from all sides.
We too try to put our trust in the Lord and live as the "birds of the air and lilies of the field" as we hear in today's passage from the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6: 24-34), one of the most poetic, popular and assuring sayings of Jesus, but as Paul experienced, we still face hardship and constant tests of that trust. We too are made aware of our weakness, but can we embrace it and give thanks for it, as Paul did? May we someday be able to pray with him, "Therefore, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and contrsaints, for the sake of Christ, for when I am weak, the I am strong. " (2 Cor 12:10).
Bro. Rene
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment