Sunday, September 18, 2011

"For Christ's sufferings overflow to us"; so we are encouraged

The book of Scripture I am currently reading and re-reading, cycling through for the month of September, is St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians. Beginning another cycle through this evening, I was struck by these words from the very beginning of the letter:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. For as Christ’s sufferings overflow to us, so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow. If we are afflicted, it is for your encouragement and salvation; if we are encouraged, it is for your encouragement, which enables you to endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is firm, for we know that you share in the sufferings, you also share in the encouragement (1:3-7)


For me, at least, this seems a very nice way to end this Sunday.

1 comment:

  1. I thought you might like to know that we've begun voting. Congrats on your nomination. http://thecrescat.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-voting-time.html

    ReplyDelete

Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr

Readings: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Psalm 31:3-4.6.8.16-17; Matthew 10:17-22 In his first encyclical letter, Deus Caritas Est , Pope Benedict...