Wednesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
Late in the spring I took on a new ministry. Hospital Chaplaincy has challenged me on so many different levels. The lesson that I learn nearly every day is that life is short so appreciate every moment. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians we are reminded life is short. At the time of Paul’s writing he believed that Christ’s return was imminent and therefore it would be better to remain single than to get married. These inspired words expressed the urgency in which Paul understood the situation.
This letter was some of the first of the New Testament writings, penned even a decade before the first gospel. Paul, along with many in the early church, believed that Christ would return within their own lifetimes. For this reason he thought there was no need to marry. Paul suggests that the world, in its’ present form is passing away. Paul like a good parent is trying to protect his spiritual children.
Paul did not know then what we know now; that many generations later we still wait for the Lord’s return. What then can we glean from Paul’s words of wisdom? The answer may lay a few verses ahead of today’s reading, “I say this to you…to promote good order and unhindered devotion to the Lord.” (7:35)
Paul asks us to examine the realities of our lives and see what and how our lives are distracted from our focus on Christ. Life is short and there is so much that distracts us from living a fully immersed spiritual life. Thus we are to live our lives in which if possible we encounter Christ in every moment. We are to live and interact in the world, yet not be sidetracked by earthly realities. As disciples, we must be Christ’s presence in the world in the way we think talk and act.
"Lord bless all of us who are poor or hungry or are mourning. Help us encounter you even in those moments, so we realize that life is short and that you are always with us now and forever. Amen!
Michael Montgomery