We
hear from Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians today. Paul founded the Christian community in
Corinth and then moved on to Ephesus. He
wrote letters back to the Corinthians to encourage them and to give them
advice. In fact, what strikes me about
the reading we hear today is that the words “encourage” and “encouragement” are
mentioned 9 different times. Paul calls
God “the God of all encouragement.”
In a lot of ways, the reading of the Beatitudes
that we hear from Matthew’s Gospel today is all about encouragement as
well. Jesus looks out at the crowd on
the mountainside and he sees the reality that the people are facing in their eyes
and in their faces. Jesus looks at those
who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, and those who are peacemakers. He lets them know that he understands their
reality, that he is by their side, that he won’t abandon them. This goes beyond the encouragement that Paul
gives to the people of Corinth. Jesus is
letting us know that God is there at our side every step of the way no matter
what our reality and no matter where we are on our journey.
May we never forget that our God is a
God of compassion and encouragement just as Paul tells us.
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