Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you; For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.
1 Corinthians 9: 1 – 2, 19
Today’s passage is from the apostle Paul to the church of Corinth. He writes about several issues that need clarification for the faithful. Controversies such as eating food sacrificed to idols, questions regarding whether full-time workers in the church have a right to be paid, and more. While he speaks of his freedom, all the work Paul has done, including his preaching, travels, and church building in numerous communities, Paul paid for this work through tent making – manual labor. He says, “Am I not free?” – yet he is willing to lay down his life entirely for the sake of promoting the gospel message of Jesus Christ – so that sinners can become free of sin and become believers in Jesus. In other writings, Paul acknowledges that he, too, needs Christ’s mercy, but when we think of his work, his suffering as an apostle, and his martyrdom, how can we compare ourselves to him? God claims that Job was a righteous man. God chose Moses to be His messenger, deliverer, and lawgiver to Israel. God chose Paul to be one of the greatest Apostles ever. How can we compare ourselves to them? We cannot. However, we can cry out, with Gregory, to the same God that they served. We can trust in His mercy to forgive us and restore us. We can receive overwhelming grace from the same loving God.
Let us pray with St. Gregory:
If I were like Job, I would say my soul was upright and pure like his.
And if I were like Moses, I would confidently say with him, “The Lord recognizes his own.”
Or if I were like Paul, I would call myself the dwelling place, oracle and receiver of God’s word.
But I, lawless despite knowing the law, not only cannot present my soul to you,
with respectful words like them, I cannot even mention myself to you
in the same breath as these good souls, for my impious tongue
is not worthy to utter your name praised by all creation.
But you who are capable of everything, grant me the spirit of salvation,
the sheltering right arm, the helping hand, the command of goodness,
the light of mercy, the word of renewal, the cause of pardon, and help of the staff of life.
For you are the hope of refuge, Lord Jesus Christ,
blessed with the Father and Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever.
Amen
Prayer 59 B, C
