20250619 INTEGRITY OF A MINISTER OF GOD
19 June 2025, Thursday, 11th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
2 Corinthians 11:1-11 |
I was careful not to be a burden to you in any way
I only wish you were able to tolerate a little foolishness from me. But of course: you are tolerant towards me. You see, the jealousy that I feel for you is God’s own jealousy: I arranged for you to marry Christ so that I might give you away as a chaste virgin to this one husband. But the serpent, with his cunning, seduced Eve, and I am afraid that in the same way your ideas may get corrupted and turned away from simple devotion to Christ. Because any new-comer has only to proclaim a new Jesus, different from the one that we preached, or you have only to receive a new spirit, different from the one you have already received, or a new gospel, different from the one you have already accepted – and you welcome it with open arms. As far as I can tell, these arch-apostles have nothing more than I have. I may not be a polished speechmaker, but as for knowledge, that is a different matter; surely we have made this plain, speaking on every subject in front of all of you.
Or was I wrong, lowering myself so as to lift you high, by preaching the gospel of God to you and taking no fee for it? I was robbing other churches, living on them so that I could serve you. When I was with you and ran out of money, I was no burden to anyone; the brothers who came from Macedonia provided me with everything I wanted. I was very careful, and I always shall be, not to be a burden to you in any way, and by Christ’s truth in me, this cause of boasting will never be taken from me in the regions of Achaia. Would I do that if I did not love you? God knows I do.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 110(111):1-4,7-8 |
Your works, Lord, are justice and truth.
or
Alleluia!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord,
to be pondered by all who love them.
Your works, Lord, are justice and truth.
or
Alleluia!
Majestic and glorious his work,
his justice stands firm for ever.
He makes us remember his wonders.
The Lord is compassion and love.
Your works, Lord, are justice and truth.
or
Alleluia!
His works are justice and truth,
his precepts are all of them sure,
standing firm for ever and ever;
they are made in uprightness and truth.
Your works, Lord, are justice and truth.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | 1S3:9,Jn6:68 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.
Alleluia!
Or: | Rm8:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The spirit you received is the spirit of sons,
and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’
Alleluia!
Gospel | Matthew 6:7-15 |
How to pray
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this:
‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test,
but save us from the evil one.
‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’
INTEGRITY OF A MINISTER OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 Cor 11:1-11; Ps 111:1-4,7-8; Mt 6:7-15]
Today, in the face of scandals committed by religious leaders – not just within the Catholic Church, but all religions in general – St Paul provides us with the high ideals necessary to win credibility as ministers of the gospel. He himself was challenged by other religious leaders whom he sarcastically called, “arch-apostles.” These questioned his authority as an apostle, his competency and his eloquence as a teacher and preacher. As a result, St Paul had to clarify and defend his credibility, as his authority was under scrutiny. We, too, as leaders, will always face challenges in what we do and the decisions we make. There will be people who slander us and seek to destroy our credibility. How did St Paul defend himself in the face of criticism and opposition? By maintaining integrity in his decisions.
Firstly, St Paul showed the sincerity of his love for the Christians in Corinth. He had no ulterior motives in reaching out to the Christian community. He did everything purely out of love. At the end of today’s scripture reading, he says, “Would I do that if I did not love you? God knows I do.” Indeed, his love was sincere and true. All the sacrifices he made were purely out of love and care for the people. Only a sincere love for those people we serve can help us discern the practical considerations in our service. When our love for those under our care is not genuine or tainted with selfishness, the works we do will not be for them but ultimately for our own interests.
Secondly, St Paul sought to protect the Christians in Corinth. “I only wish you were able to tolerate a little foolishness from me. But of course: you are tolerant towards me. You see, the jealousy that I feel for you is God’s own jealousy: I arranged for you to marry Christ so that I might give you away as a chaste virgin to this one husband.” Many of us protect our loved ones because we are attached to them and fear losing them. Often, in relationships, jealousy arises when another person is more attractive, intelligent, eloquent, or given more attention than us. So we become jealous, fearing they might steal our friends or our attention.
For St Paul, however, his desire to protect the Christians was pure. It was not about gaining people’s support for himself, but ensuring they remained faithful to Christ as His bride. He used the imagery of a maiden betrothed to our Lord. A Christian, from birth, is betrothed to the Lord. His task was to ensure they were united with the Lord and found fulfilment in Him, especially when they die. His love for his people was unselfish – for their sake and for God’s sake. He was like John the Baptist, who said, “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason, my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” (Jn 1:28-30)
Thirdly, purity of heart and mind is necessary for anyone who wants to be a spouse of Christ. Virginity is the symbol of total devotion to God, just like our Blessed Mother. It is also symbolic of our keeping our hearts pure for God, our minds free from falsehood, and our lives free from sin and corruption. The Corinthians were being seduced by Satan to betray their relationship with the Lord due to false and corrupt teachings, which impacted both their thoughts and actions. Wrong doctrines lead to wrong praxis. We must always maintain orthopraxis, meaning right practice flows from right teaching. If the world is corrupt and amoral, it is because of moral relativism and individualism.
Indeed, the Corinthians were being misled by eloquent preachers. St Paul said, “I am afraid that in the same way your ideas may get corrupted and turned away from simple devotion to Christ. Because any newcomer has only to proclaim a new Jesus, different from the one that we preached, or you have only to receive a new spirit, different from the one you have already received, or a new gospel, different from the one you have already accepted – and you welcome it with open arms.” This is true even in our churches today. Some parishioners are impressed by the preaching or teaching of a priest or lay speaker. Some may preach eloquently and impress listeners, but few know their lifestyle. Some even teach their own opinions in an attempt to please the world and gain popularity, rather than speaking the truth according to the Gospel. Some theologians and preachers twist and turn the Gospel to endorse worldly values. Many Catholics have been misled, even by priests, on what the Church and scriptures truly teach.
St Paul made it clear that although he “may not be a polished speechmaker, but as for knowledge, that is a different matter; surely we have made this plain, speaking on every subject in front of all of you.” He warned the Corinthians not to be fooled by such preachers and teachers. He may not have been a gifted orator, nor even preached from head knowledge, but he preached from his heart. He was preaching not just from intellectual knowledge, but from his personal encounter with the Lord. There is nothing more convincing than when a person preaches from the depths of his heart. In his first letter to them, he wrote, “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” (1 Cor 2:1-5) When a preacher speaks from the heart, even if he is not eloquent, his listeners will be convicted by his message.
Finally, the acid test of Paul’s integrity was that he preached the Gospel for free. In those days, teachers in Greece were paid highly for their wisdom and teaching. But St Paul worked as a tent-maker to pay for his own upkeep. He did not want to accept money for his preaching, as he did not want to depend on anyone, which could compromise his independence in proclaiming the Gospel. Even today, many religious leaders who depend on funds from the community – especially the rich and powerful – tend to compromise their message, fearing they might offend their benefactors. This is how the Gospel is sometimes diluted: religious leaders protect their personal interests because they rely on financial contributions. As the saying goes, “He who pays the piper calls the tune.”
But this was not the case of Paul, as he said earlier, “The Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. In my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel. (1 Cor 9:14,18) He asked the Corinthians, “Was I wrong, lowering myself so as to lift you high, by preaching the gospel of God to you and taking no fee for it?” A craftsman in a permanent location would have the benefit of a regular pool of clients. But for Paul, an itinerant preacher and a tent-maker, he would not have been able to earn much, as his potential clients would not know the standard of his craftsmanship. Hence, he accepted support from the communities he was no longer serving, to protect his integrity. He said, “I was robbing other churches, living on them so that I could serve you. When I was with you and ran out of money, I was no burden to anyone; the brothers who came from Macedonia provided me with everything I wanted. I was very careful, and I always shall be, not to be a burden to you in any way.” His free service shows the absolute integrity of Paul in his work as an apostle and a teacher.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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