Tuesday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
(1
Corinthians 2:10b-16; Luke 4:31-37)
Cartoons of the 1950s and 60s often depicted characters undergoing
temptation . They showed an angel and a
devil bidding their consciences. Typically,
the angel appeared in a balloon at one ear and the devil in a balloon at the
other, each with a message of encouragement to follow its way. The drama, of course, turned on which spirit
the character would heed. The arrangement
seemed silly at the time, but it is not irreconcilable to experience. In any
case, St. Paul writes of soul struggle in today’s first reading.
Paul tells of contrasting spirits – the “spirit of the
world” and the “Spirit of God.” The
“spirit of the world” sees things in terms of advantages to the self. It looks at other people as physical objects meant
to feed their desires for power, prestige, or pleasure. The “Spirit of God,” on the other hand, views
people as does the Creator and Redeemer.
It inspires its possessors to care for others so that they may thrive. Paul is exhorting the Corinthians to follow
the “Spirit of God” imparted as they came to believe in Christ and were baptized.
We are subject to the “spirit of the world” – “Spirit of
God” contention. Part of us wants to see
the world as our dominion to be exploited for our gratification. Part of us, however, knows that we are here
to serve the Lord. We raise the volume
of its voice by prayer, the sacraments, and attending to the Word of God.
