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Commentary on the Gospel for September 11, 2024
Dear friend,
The passage from the letter to the Corinthians that we’re following this week begins with a conflict about sex among them. They consult Paul about the best state of life, and surely there were very different views among them regarding marriage. On the one hand, there were those who were inclined to follow the pagan customs of union, on the other hand, those who would advocate for marriage, others who would despise it and prefer the condition of being single or celibate for the Kingdom, etc. One is not better for being married, or single, or celibate; each one has a function and a dedication according to their state of life, but all must work for the Kingdom of God.
St. Paul prefers to put the issue into perspective, not to opt preferentially for one state of life in relationships, and to advise that each one, in the state of life they choose, dedicate themselves to doing good. The good that Jesus announces again in the Beatitudes, the essence of the message. He does this, let’s not forget, right after choosing the Twelve, in what biblical scholars call the “Sermon on the Plain,” in chapter six of St. Luke.
These Beatitudes of Luke, unlike those of Matthew, are different. In Matthew there were eight, while here there are four Beatitudes and another four that we can call woes or lamentations. In the first, Jesus calls four kinds of people “happy and blessed”: the poor, those who are hungry, those who weep, and those who are persecuted because of their faith. In the second, the woes, he laments and dedicates his “woe” to four other kinds of people: the rich, those who are full, those who laugh, and those who are flattered by the world. Jesus thus indicates that the first are priorities for God, precisely because they are the most needy and whom no one attends to. And the unfortunate ones are those who are at the back of the line in God’s preferences because they forget about the former.
Therefore, whether you are single, married, celibate, etc., do not forget your most needy neighbors, because this is more important than the sexual condition you live in. I think that’s very clear.
Your brother in the faith,