Reading the texts of the Bible can be inspiring and enriching.
We may see there some examples of people generous in living as God wants us to do.
We may read about what we should do, or not do, to please God.
But at times, we find all this rather demanding and difficult for us to imitate.
However, there are some texts which are meant precisely to give us strength and courage.
What they tell us is comforting and reassuring.
This is the case with the words we find at the end of the 2nd reading of today’s celebration (1 Corinthians 15:54-58).
The apostle Paul is writing to the first Christians of Corinth, and he tells them:
“You know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (I Corinthians 15:54-58).
There are moments when we find it quite heavy to live as Christians…
We seem to be constantly trying and… failing to behave as such.
We struggle to correct what, in us, needs to be corrected.
We make genuine efforts to change our ways so that we may be more like Christ.
But looking at our lives, it seems that not much has improved.
Our behavior keeps showing the same old bad habits, and reactions that are unworthy of a follower of Christ…
Paul’s words are meant to adjust our sights.
We can – we must – rely on his words:
“Our labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
God sees, God knows, God understands…
And God will gently enable us to grow into what he expects from us – we can rely on it, rely on him.
Paul’s own experience can vouch for that.
He was personally aware of his own failings, and one day, he pleaded with the Lord to free him from them.
He tells us about it:
“In order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh…
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. »
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
Sufficient for us… we need to keep it in mind…
Note: Another reflection is available on a different theme in French at: https://image-i-nations.com/8e-dimanche-de-lannee-c-2025/
Source: Image: https://www.scripture-images.com/bible-verse/gw/1-corinthians-15-58-gw.php