“What comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28)
Beloveds, the sons and daughters of God, Saint Mary’s families, praise to God for His kindness, to teach us His Holy words. Amen!
“What comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:28) This is the message of the great Apostle Saint Paul.
Saint Paul had so many struggles daily and faced very strong trials all the time. But, this didn’t hinder him to be concerned about the Church day and night. He was called to minister to the Church. The aim of his calling was to serve the Church. Saint Paul told all the troubles he has faced, and said “I am out of my mind to talk like this. I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.” (2 Corinthians 11:23)
They beat him to death and tied his leg thinking he was dead. They then dragged him on the street and threw him away from the city. His disciples had gathered around him sad, but he rouse up. Then he went back to the city to preach the gospel again. His disciples were amazed, and preached “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22) The Apostle has not seized to speak all the hardship he endured. “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea.” (2 Corinthians 11:24-25)
How was that possible! Yet, for the apostle Saint Paul who thought like “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” was possible. (Philippians 4:13) He had the ability to bear all the predicaments. The Apostle then said, “I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:27-28)
He did not worry about the lashes, migrating, imprisonment, deprivation, nor did he worry about his comfort. But he faced daily pressure of his concern for all the churches. Because, the Church is the House of God gave us. He knows he should look after the church. He knows he will receive a reward for taking this responsibility. One can’t serve the Church by running away from troubles and trials. Christianity and serving the Church is not expressed with words only but with actions. It is carrying the cross. It is resembling Christ.
Saint Paul said the same thing to his disciples. “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church [a]of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:28-31). He taught them with sincerity, advised and scolded them with tears. Tears have power, but nowadays we won’t cry even if our eye was pocked. What made him cry? Is it his worldly need? Is it the death of a relative? No, but the love of the Church made him cry. When we see life of Saints, they were slaughtered, burned in fire and migrated for the sake of the church. It is because they served the Church with all their heart.
Saint Stephen became a martyr for the sake of the church. Saint George was cut in to pieces for the sake of the church. So the life of the Apostles and Saints indicates the followers of the Church not to waver during the times of trials. “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of Glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified,” said the Apostle Peter. (1 Peter 4:12-14) Taking hardship for the Church is the same as taking hardship for Christ. For the Church is Christ’s. The foundation of the Church is Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus said to His apostles “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)
One who did not deny himself can never carry His cross. What does denying oneself mean? It is the acts of giving in the needs of the flesh to the needs of the soul. If one is capable of doing this one will be able to withhold a hard ship that may cost him his/her life. It will not be scary for such a man. Lord Jesus said “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). He gave us hope. When He said He overcame the world, He is also telling us that He overcame the devil. The devil lost his power over Jesus Christ’s disciples.
The devil who is trying to rule the world doesn’t have power to be strong upon God’s children. This should always be put in our mind. Some of us think we are called only to call His name, to teach by His and praise by His name. But we are also called to receive hardships by His name. We should know this by heart.
Saint Paul said “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.” (Philippians 1:27-30). It is by carrying all this that serving the Church would be possible.
Why did somebody look at me with a bad eye? Why did he grin at me? Why did I stumble? Such things shall not have a place while serving the church. The service of the Church is carrying the cross. The problem is we don’t have a shoulder that is able to carry the cross. One who is concerned about the Church is one who is carrying his cross. Being concerned for a person is like being concerned for the church. Caring for the followers of Christ is like caring for the Church since they are known to be the church. Caring for the church’s faith, system and tradition, is being concerned for the church. In the Old Testament king David was concerned about the house of God and he said“ Lord remember David and all his afflictions; How he swore to the Lord, And vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: “Surely I will not go into the chamber of my house, Or go up to the comfort of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes Or slumber to my eyelids.” (Psalm 131:1-4)
The one who thinks of the house of God resembles David, and Saint Paul. When King David got in a penance with Prophet Nathan, he got a revelation of incarnation and Prophet Nathan got the revelation of the church. God reveals the secretes for his attendants. King David wished for the peace of Jerusalem. He wished her people will live in peace. Why is that? Is it because of he fears he will loss his thrown? His wealth? His comfort? no! When he said “For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I sought good things for you,” he meant about Jerusalem, the house of God, so that the worshiping system of God won’t be disrupted. (Psalm 121:9)
Now, let’s see what worries us today? What is in our minds? What are we running towards? What worries us the most is Money! Gold! Money has become our master; gold fooled us. Money made us forget our faith. It made our heart forget the Church. It did not allow us to submit our lives to the Lord. What should we do? Will the gold and money we choose save us? Will it give us eternal life? Will it be the gate way to heaven? The word of God says this. “The great day of the Lord is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities and against the high towers. “I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse.” Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them In the day of the Lord’s wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land.” (Zephaniah 1:14-18)
So what is awaiting us? We should choose what is better for us. King David, who had everything under his feet, tells us the better choice. “The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.” (Psalm 118:72) But the world chose money and gold. Our worry is not the Church but what we eat, drink and wear. Our flesh has ruled us. Our needs of the soul are not given priority. So, how it is possible for us to be concerned about the Church? But, we were told to learn from other creatures. Our Lord said, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26). But the great man could learn neither from the birds nor from the flowers. There is something our Lord said at last. “So do not worry saying, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33). He who seeks the kingdom and his righteousness, first can be able to be concerned for the Church.
What is very concerning for us is the house we live in. We only worry about our worldly house but didn’t think of our house in heaven. How can that person do deeds that will gain him the kingdom of God? This is our biggest problem. We always seek money first. And that is only for the needs of our flesh. King David said on his psalms, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. ” (Psalm 127:1). There are so many who built big houses but didn’t get to live in it. Some have migrated, or few were imprisoned and others have died. This should be a lesson for us. Those of us who lead a married life only worry about our marriage, filling our house with good foods and drinks, wearing the best clothing’s and that is it. Our thinking will be limited only by the boundaries of the house. So how can we care for and be concerned of the Church?
Those of us who didn’t enter the life of marriage worry about, “who can I marry? does he/she have enough money? Is she pretty? If it is so, we are not able to seek the kingdom and his righteousness. Our Lord said, “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)
But all we worry about is money and our salary. So, some might not even speak the truth for the sake of their salary. We worry that we may lose it. We keep on thinking about raising our salary. He who gets paid 500 think of raising to 1000 and he who gets 1000 to 2000. But even if one got 100000 a person will not get satisfied. But he may say “if only it was 100,000 dollars it would have been enough.”
God liberated the Israelis, the city of Jerusalem and Judah, when they were lost. The house of God was disrupted. But all of them build a fancy house for themselves; the farmer was only concerned about plowing his land; and the employee about his salary. Nobody remembered the abounded and house of God. When we don’t think about the house of God, all that we gain is not blessed.
The word of God tells us “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?” Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Consider your ways! “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes.” (Haggai 1:4). Those who do not think for the house of God plant much but harvest little. But those who do plant little amount but harvest a lot. It is like putting once salary in a sack that has a hole in it. It won’t be known when it was all finished. We take our salary for the sake of our worldly needs and we forget God.
Another thing that worries us the most, is when we face a challenge in life; We say “how can I pass this hardship? Or will my salary won’t be enough for me to survive throughout this month.” This thought is making us bend. Let’s remember the Widow at Zarephath who said “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.” (1 Kings 17:12). With the intersection of Elijah, she was blessed. The jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil didn’t run dry until the day God sent rain on the land. The Lord will also bless the little things that we have.
Some of us worry about our children thinking “how can I raise them?” but we need to understand our children are not born with our wisdom nor with our effort. We worry how can feed, teach and buy them clothes. So we use the wisdom of the flesh to handle worldly things. But that is not the solution. We say we should plan the birth of our children. But there is something that we should put first and that is the will of God.
Let’s see what the word of God says about that widow. “A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves. So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil. Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors’ empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones. So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel. And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.” (2 kings 4:1-7)
She didn’t feel ashamed to tell what she has and truly believed God will help her. But, we see things in the eyes of the flesh so we forget “The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:14). When we get blessings from the Lord rather, than being fast to do our worldly needs, we should ask the Lord “what can I do with this?” As the woman got blessed, so can we, with the Lords kindness, Saint Mary’s and all Saint’s intersection.
May the Lord make us concerned for the Church as Saint Paul!
May the Lord’s kindness and Saint Mary’s intersection be with us! Amen!