joy: absence of hardships? generosity: presence of money? 11th week tuesday

Today we reflect on St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. Paul says towards the end of our reading, “I say this not by way of command, but to test the genuineness of your love by your concern for others.”  Genuineness of love is tested by your concern for others.  How did Paul come to this conclusion.

Paul is presenting the example of generosity of the Macedonians to the people of Corinth.  The Christians in Macedonia were poor unlike the people of cosmopolitan Corinth.  Not only are they poor, they are also troubled at that moment with what Paul called a severe test of affliction.   And yet despite this affliction there was abundance of joy among the Christians of Macedonia and despite what Paul calls a profound poverty there was overflowing generosity among them.  In fact Paul had to tell them to stop giving many of whom are giving beyond their means.  And yet they did the unexpected - they begged him, they insisted that they too despite their poverty should also participate in the service to the holy ones.  Service to the holy ones refers to the collection Paul was asking from the different churches he founded to help poor Christians living in Judea.  And so the Macedonians gave despite their poverty, despite their own need.  And now Paul is setting them up as an example to the more wealthy, more prosperous Corinthians.

You see, we were made to think that joy is the absence of anything that would sadden us, joy is the absence of anything that would burden us and make us grieve.  So, since everything is fine in our lives, we are joyful.  No, St. Paul said.

We were made to think that surplus creates generosity.  So it follows that when we have a lot we become generous, and when we have even more then we become even more generous.  Again St. Paul said no.

Absence of hardships will not make you joyful.  Presence of so much money will not make you generous.  Only genuine love can do that.  What will make us joyful is our love for the other.  What will make us generous is our love for the other.  Look at Jesus, Paul said, he was rich (he was rich because Jesus is God) but he became poor (born on a stable) so that in his poverty you may become rich, you will earn salvation.  It is not the richness of God, it is not the power of God to create, it is not the power of God to provide for our material well-being that made us and will make us rich.  No.  Because when he came he was poor, born on a stable.  Rather Paul implies, that it is the love of Jesus for us that made us rich – when he offered himself on the cross, when he offered his whole self for all of us.  The source of generosity, the source of joy is genuine love.