In St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, he essentially begins by telling the members of the community there that they were stupid, weak and of lowly, or unimportant estate. Not many of us would think this to be a way to start a letter or address to a community. Certainly, today’s AI writing programs, which Pope Leo XIV addressed this past week, would not consider this to be a wise and effective way to address people that you want to listen to you. But this is the reality. When we were called by God, we were foolish and weak. The difference between St. Paul’s understanding of our condition and most of the world’s understanding, and AI, is that our dignity and goodness (if we can dare to call it that) is not in strength, wisdom, wealth or social status.
St. Paul’s comments are little different than if a coach walked into a locker room of professional athletes and said: remember that when you first came in and started your training you could not lift even 50 lbs; or a doctor saying to a patient: remember when you first came to me, you could count your ribs and your hair was falling out.
This is the mystery of our restoration and return to the likeness of God. It does not happen by us or through anything that we could offer. If it did, then what greater good would that accomplish? If I were to become strong, wealthy and wise on my own, through my own efforts or simply because I happened to be born that way, then what does it account anything or for anyone but me?
On the other hand, if I grow and discover these things by the support and aid of another, that points toward something greater and even on a more basic level, builds a relationship between me and my teacher or my instructor. How often do we hear, when someone reaches great success, about the credit given to their teacher or mentor? We think of universities and colleges, not based on the content of their classes, but on the work of their professors and quality of the students who graduated.
It is because of our humble and weakened beginning that Christ is revealed through our successes and coming into life. This again is the mystery of why St. Paul wrote that in him can be seen the Wisdom of God. It is not to give himself credit for being as wise as God, but that through his wise words and the evangelical work that he did for the Church that we, even today, can see the work of God and what He accomplishes. How humbling is it to think that the Creator of the Universe has chosen to reveal His very self through me! How indescribable is the gift that not only does He consider giving me the blessings of His salvation, but that others can find salvation through anything that I do! Remember that you reveal the Glory of God.