Often we look up to our mentors and our teachers for advice and support. Paul was a mentor and guide to the Christian communities of the Early Church, helping them figure out what it means to be a disciple of Christ. In Ancient Israel and in the ancient Mediterranean world, a rabbi or teacher was a person who garnered great respect and honor, someone who was lifted up amongst all others. Paul and his fellow companions did not portray themselves as masters and lords to these Christian communities, but rather saw themselves as servants with Jesus himself as their example. Paul also states that he and his companions were entrusted in communicating the mysteries of God. By mysteries, it is not only what is beyond all our human understanding. It also means those things that we are not able to discern by our own human devices, those thing that God makes known to those who believe. Paul sees himself as a steward of what has been entrusted to him in his life of faith. We can see ourselves as stewards of many things. Yesterday, we celebrated a day of prayer for the care of creation, seeing us as stewards of the earth and of God’s creation, passing it down to future generations. May we also be good stewards of the Word of God, passing down our faith to others through our words and our actions.
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