In every age we Christians — yes,  even conscientious Christians — experience the same temptation as the Corinthians. Our lives may not be sinful but they are frequently “off-center.”  We too are often caught up in the foolishness of the wisdom of this world, forgetting to Whom we belong.  We belong to Christ!

Thursday in the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

1 Corinthians 3:18-23

Psalm 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

L uke 5:1-11 While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes'aret. (2) And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. (3) Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. (4) And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." (5) And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." (6) And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, (7) they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. (8) But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (9) For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; (10) and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb'edee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." (11) And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Meditation by Dick Hauser, S.J.

P aul seems annoyed when he writes to the Corinthian community:  “The wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God.”

No doubt the Corinthians were arranging their lives around fulfilling worldly goals — personal well being, material prosperity, professional success, health, long life.  Paul is exasperated:  how could they be so foolish! Had they totally forgotten the message he preached to them!

But he softens his message by reminding them that “all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.” Paul doesn’t seem to be accusing the Corinthians of living sinful lives but rather of living disordered lives.  Their lives were “off center, ” centered on worldly goals. They had not integrated these goals with living the Gospel so they must refocus their lives.

Why? Paul puts it bluntly: You belong to Christ!

In every age we Christians — yes,  even conscientious Christians — experience the same temptation as the Corinthians. Our  lives may not be sinful but they are frequently “off-center.”  We too are often caught up in the foolishness of the wisdom of this world, forgetting to Whom we belong.

Paul’s words remain important reminders to us: We do not belong primarily to this world; we belong to Christ.  Consequently we also must refocus our lives.

Jesus puts it succinctly: Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven !

Supplementary Reading

By His Grace

But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favor on me--and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by His grace - 1 Corinthians 15:10

In this day and age, many people are filled with worry about their future. They live stressed out, wondering "What's going to happen if I get laid off?" "How am I going to handle it if my loved one doesn't make it?" Or, "My parents are getting older. How can I take care of them and my own family as well?" Here is the answer: God's grace is going to be there at every stage of your life to help you do whatever you need to do. God's grace is what saves us, but that's not all. His grace is His enabling power. His grace will give you the strength, wisdom and favor to accomplish what you could not normally accomplish on your own. His grace is sufficient for whatever you need in your future.

If you're in a difficult marriage, if you're raising a child that's hard, if you're facing a sickness, one thing you can count on is that the grace of God will be there. Receive His grace today, by faith, and let Him empower you to walk through that difficulty into a place of supernatural victory in Jesus' name!

Father in heaven, thank You for Your grace and mercy upon my life. Thank You for empowering me to rise above every obstacle I may face. Thank You for restoring my future and equipping me to move forward into the victory You have for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen. - Joel & Victoria Osteen