for September 11
Friday of the Twenty-Third Week of Ordinary Time

In today’s first reading Paul is telling the Corinthians that he cannot boast about preaching the Gospel, as much as we know he enjoys the preaching, because he has an obligation to do so imposed by the divine plan. Indeed, he says how awful it might be for him if he did not do so. Even unwillingly he would have to preach because God has entrusted him with a stewardship and a steward has no option but to obey. His recompense is ironically that he can offer the Gospel free of charge without a financial recompense even though as he also mentions elsewhere he has the right to be supported in his ministry by those he is ministering to. Some think this is a reply to those criticizing him for not accepting their support!

More importantly he claims to be a slave (or servant) of all so as to win them over. He has become all things to all such as when dealing with the objections of Jews or Gentiles when proclaiming the crucifixion of Christ. The former struggle with how a long-awaited messiah could be executed as a criminal and the latter cannot grasp someone being raised from the dead.

It’s somewhat like the expression ‘going in their door for the sake of the Gospel.’

Finally he uses athletic imagery to encourage the Corinthians to persevere in the faith. This would resonate with those in Corinth, which hosted biennial games for athletes in the Graeco-Roman world. To summarize Paul wants them (and us) to practice discipline and self-control in pursuit of an imperishable crown, our salvation, as athletes do for a perishable one, a crown of pine leaves at the biennial games. He even sees the need to continually strengthen himself against falling short because of sin.

In the gospel the first parable about the blind not leading the blind lest they fall is the way Jesus introduces the topic of discipleship. Disciples first need the humility to allow their teacher to instruct them, but when fully trained they are equivalent to their teacher and can and presumably should teach others. The second parable is also about self-deception with the deliberately exaggerated comparison between a splinter in the other’s eye and a wooden beam in your own.

Hypocrisy here means what one is saying or doing is in contrast with reality. How could one overlook the wooden beam in their own eye when trying to remove a splinter from another’s?

That is required first for fraternal correction is self-purification. If you remedy your own more serious faults first, or at least acknowledge them, then the other may be more open to suggestions about his or her less serious faults.

On this anniversary of 9/11, let us end with a recommended prayer:

O God, who show a parental care for all, grant, in your mercy, that the members of the human race, to whom you have given a single origin, may form in peace a single fellowship, and always be united by a familial spirit.  We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!

—Edward O’Donnell SJ

Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.