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1 Cor. 3: 1-9:
Brothers and sisters,
I could not talk to you as spiritual people,
but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.
I fed you milk, not solid food,
because you were unable to take it.
Indeed, you are still not able, even now,
for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,
are you not of the flesh, and walking
according to the manner of man?
Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another,
“I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely men?
What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul?
Ministers through whom you became believers,
just as the Lord assigned each one.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.
Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God’s co-workers;
you are God’s field, God’s building.
The Word of the Lord.
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“Brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.”
In our first reading, Saint Paul is correcting the behavior of some of the earliest Christians. Instead of acting like mature adults, he says they’re being “infants.” They’re jealous and divided.
As a result, he has to “spoon feed” them the Gospel because they cannot digest it well.
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I’d imagine Paul’s words left a bitter taste in their mouth. Nobody likes being corrected, or told how to live their life. But, ironically enough, if these Christians do not accept Paul’s criticism, then he could add pride to their list of sins!
Though not easy to digest, Paul is taking ownership for these Christian’s growth; he loves them. Like a spiritual father, he’s teaching them how to draw closer to Jesus.
And for the Corinthians – as is true for all of us at times – that meant being spoon fed a slice of humble pie.
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How willing am I to accept criticism from others? Do I accept my need for growth?
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May we all live the words of the Psalmist, “a humble, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.”
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Image credits: (1) Quote Master (2) Agape Bible Study (3) Orthodox Christian Network