Monday of the
Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
(II Corinthians 6:1-10; Matthew 5:38-42)
Although the Bible is the “word of God” written for the
edification of all humans, each its books has a particular context. Sometimes the context is apparent as in the Letter
to Philemon where St. Paul pleads for the liberation of a slave. Sometimes, however, it is obscure so that
readers today cannot understand all the work’s references. Scholarly opinion of the Letter to the
Hebrews, for example, is divided regarding its original readers and intent as
well as its author. There is an element
of uncertainty regarding the context of Paul’s so-called Second Letter to the
Corinthians. (Saying “so-called” just
indicates that there is reason to think it is a compendium of letters written
after Paul’s more famous First Letter.)
The uncertainty of the Second Letter regards the issue of
reconciliation to which Paul refers in today’s reading. In the previous verses he urged the Corinthians
to “be reconciled to God.” Here he indicates
that the difficulty they were having with him caused their alienation from God. What is the difficulty? Perhaps some Corinthians took offense at some
of Paul’s accusations in the First Letter.
Perhaps they have been influenced by a false interpretation of the
gospel. In correspondence between
intimates rarely is the context fully explained.
Nevertheless, the Second Letter to the Corinthians
reveals an enormous amount of information about St. Paul. It tells us of his remarkable suffering on
behalf of Christ and of his ongoing dialogue with him. We stand in awe of this scholar missionary
martyr. We also thank God for his work
that is, at least in part, responsible for our coming to know Jesus Christ.
