2 September 2020 - Wednesday of the 22nd week in Ordinary Time - 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

        I remember when I first became a priest 12 years ago, even though I knew Spanish fairly well, having lived in a Spanish speaking country for three years and having studied and taught Spanish for four years as a high school teacher, it was still difficult jumping into Spanish in the masses and liturgies as a priest.  Looking back at those first baptisms, masses, funerals, and weddings I had in Spanish, I think back to how they were so rough, since I had never celebrated them before in Spanish as a priest.  I think of now, how 12 years later, I am as comfortable in celebrating in Spanish as a priest as I am in English.  Quite a change.  

      I thought of this listening to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians today, of how he calls them infants in the faith, how they are just learning the faith and that they have to first learn the basics.  I think of how in RCIA class there are so many basics to teach, aren’t there, that we cannot go into minute detail into a lot of the topics, because other basics in the faith will be ignored.  I think of some of the questions I received recently as a priest, asking me the different between an archangel and a regular angel and asking if the Blessed Mother had died an earthly death when she was assumed into heaven, or if she was still alive.  Good questions, for sure.  And that is why even though I have two graduate degrees in divinity and theology from a Catholic seminary and another graduate degree from a Catholic University, why I still need to study and grow in the faith as much as any believer.  Some of the books I read are advanced books in theology and spirituality, but others are more basic to reinforce and renew what I have already learned.  Paul mentions how his role is to do the planting of the faith in Christian communities, while the role of Apollos was to come after him to nature and help grow the believers in their faith.  But in it all, we all belong to God. God is what really matters, not those humans who bring God’s message and nurture the believers in the faith.  We give thanks for those who have nurtured us in the faith and who have brought the faith to us.  We give thanks to God.