Friday 3 September
1 Corinthians 4:1-5 • Pope St Gregory the Great (Memorial)
After rebuking the Corinthians for splitting into parties who said, ‘I am for Paul’ or ‘I am for Apollos’, Paul explains how we should view religious teachers, and how he views himself. It is not the teachers that we should revere, for they are only servants of Christ. The Greek word used here, hyperetes, originally meant the rowers on the lowest bank of a galley, so it is a very humble term. Those who serve Christ are only stewards of the greatest of gifts, the message of the gospel.
This is true of us all. We are all called to serve Christ and to be stewards of his message. We preach God’s revelation, not our own thinking. Indeed, it is a privilege to be stewards of God’s mysteries, but it carries with it a great responsibility. A master expects his steward to be trustworthy, and God will judge us on the last day. Paul was aware of this, and was content to leave the judgement to God, stating that he did not even judge himself.
This is a remarkable statement. We find it all too easy to condemn others when we do not really know what is in their hearts. Only God can judge. Our task is to do our best to serve God, and leave the judging to him, for he alone knows the secrets of every heart. This is as true of ourselves as it is of others. It is the Lord we should be trying to please, not other people, and if we are doing his will we can endure being criticized or rejected.
Today we celebrate the feast of St Gregory the Great (540–604), one of the four Doctors of the Church. Having achieved success in worldly terms, he realized that true wisdom lay in dedicating his life to God. He became a monk and gave away his fortune. As Pope he strengthened the Church in difficult times, made many reforms and established systems for giving to the poor and needy. His humility can be seen from the fact that he was the first Pope to call himself ‘servant of the servants of God’.
‘Dear Jesus, you paid the debt of Adam for us to the Eternal Father by your blood poured forth in loving-kindness. You cleared away the darkness of sin by your magnificent and radiant resurrection. How inestimable is the tenderness of your love!’ (Pope St Gregory the Great)
1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Psalm 36(37):3-6, 27-28, 39-40 • Luke 5:33-39
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