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WORD AMONG US WAU.ORG Reflections
Daily Meditation: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
. . . so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:5)
St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians gives a series of snapshots of this vibrant, growing, and challenging church. He praises their strengths and addresses their struggles, and in today’s second reading, he reminds them that their foundation rests, not on any human wisdom, but on the power of God. For Paul, this wasn’t some vague kind of power; it was the power of the crucified and risen Jesus.
When Paul came to Corinth, he preached and reasoned with Jews and Gentiles alike to bring them to the Lord. He surely encouraged them to search the Scriptures for themselves as well. But the heart of his preaching and the bedrock of his faith was Christ’s death and resurrection. The revelation of the risen Lord had opened Paul’s eyes and transformed his life. So he wanted the Corinthians’ faith to be rooted in God and his power to change their lives. He wanted their faith to be deep, dynamic, and life-changing.
Paul never tired of reminding the Corinthians that the wisdom and power of God were their foundation. He would say the same to us because he knows how easy it can be to rely only on our own strength and wisdom. We need to look to Jesus, risen and victorious, and place our trust in him.
So let’s expand our thinking today and step out, trusting in our mighty God. Let’s turn to him first when we’re concerned about our loved ones. Let’s pray boldly for God to work in their lives. And if it takes time to see an answer, let’s keep praying! God’s power can change hearts far beyond what we can do on our own. Our best preaching or persuading, or even the witness of our lives, can’t compare with what the power of God can do. To begin, we need only to trust and pray—and watch to see what he will do.
“Lord, I trust in your power and love!”
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First Reading — Isaiah 58:7-101. How has darkness been manifest in your environment and in your world?
2. In what way(s) have you seen the Lord show himself as light in the midst of this darkness?
Responsorial Reading — Psalm 112:4-9
Second Reading — 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
3. What does it mean to be with someone in weakness, fear and trembling?
4. How could we “demonstrate” through our message of hope, the presence of the Holy Spirit and power?
Gospel Reading — Matthew 5:13-16
5. Why do you think Jesus used salt and light to illustrate the characteristics of a fruitful Christian life?
6. What are some of the “bushels” under which we obscure Christ’s light in us?
8. Practically how can we put our light on a stand so that everyone can see it, yet do it without seeming
prideful?
