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the Father of compassion and the God of all encouragement,
who encourages us in our every affliction,
so that we may be able to encourage
those who are in any affliction
with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.
Thus begins the Second Letter of Saint Paul to his troublesome Corinthians. He loved them passionately and tenderly, with all the affection of a mother of irascible teenagers. Being a true apostle he could not but resist their misinterpretations of the Gospel; nor could he tolerate grievous abuses taking root in his church -- such as sexual sins -- even if it meant being feared and despised by his beloved people.
This "second letter" seems to be a compendium of several letters in one confusing document. So while he speaks of compassion and encouragement in the opening chapter (perhaps the final of a series of letters), he will denounce some of their behavior later in the document. (The ancient scribes sometimes copied as I have "copied" assorted, unrelated files onto floppy disks.)
Today, the Church often uses these sentences about compassion immediately after the death of a loved one. The saints remind us to remember our comfort in times of grief, and remember our grief in times of comfort. In this case we should remember how "the Father of Compassion and the God of all encouragement" sustains us in good times and bad -- so that we might be able to give the same compassion and encouragement to one another when we are afflicted.
Saint Paul had no illusions about life as a bowl of cherries. He knew good times and enjoyed them but he also walked through the "vale of tears." He was very familiar with "the valley of the shadow of death."
To be a Christian and a Catholic is to accept life as it presents itself. We might naturally prefer consolation over desolation but our preferences are not important. We might prefer leisure over work, but both grow tedious when overdone. The human being will always need both challenges and relief; we are cyclic creatures.
In today's gospel, which is the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, he shows us God's preference for the poor, the grieving, the sorrowful and the merciful. He teaches us not to invest too much in our likes and dislikes but always to prefer that which is Blessed of God.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.