Being Who God Created Me to Be

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, February 4th, 2024:
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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1 Corinthians
9.16-19, 22-23​

Brothers and sisters: If I proclaim the Gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the Gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the Gospel.

For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.

To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the Gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

​Pause. Pray. Reflect.

In today’s second reading we hear Saint Paul encouraging the people of Corinth to not only speak about the Gospel, but also to reveal it to others through the lives they live. Something that strikes me in this reading is the way Saint Paul’s direction and example are a clear contradiction to everything the world teaches me! 

Paul reminds me that the proclaiming of the Gospel is not something to boast about. The reward of this proclamation is what it gives to others – the Gospel, free of charge. That in his freedom, Saint Paul becomes a slave; that he is called to be weak; and to share what he does receive – blessings. 

Everything about Saint Paul’s words contradicts the world we live in: that we are justified in boasting of our accomplishments; that rewards should be for our benefit first and foremost; that we should profit from the work we do; and, of course, that we deserve full autonomy. 

Paul challenges me to discern the things of the world and strive for the things of heaven. I am challenged to consider that just because something is difficult does not mean it isn’t God’s will for my life, even if well-meaning people tell me to “take it easy” or “choose the easier path” or be who I want to be. In fact, God calls me to the opposite: to strive after the gift of salvation even in difficult moments, to trust in God’s plan even when it feels impossibly hard.

In the midst of all of this, I am called to be an instrument of God’s work, trusting in His presence and His work in my life. 

Thanks be to God for the challenges, difficulties, and struggles that remind me of my need for God and for the love God pours out into my heart.




​Sister Teresa MacDonald

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