Our heart is enlarged

Treasures of Our Faith with Deacon Richard Vehige

On the Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time our church invites us to reflect on a passage from the second letter of the apostle Paul to the Corinthians (6:1---7:1) entitled “Paul’s sufferings and his exhortation to holiness”. Our treasure, which follows, is from a homily on the second letter to the Corinthians by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop.

The Second Letter to the Corinthians is the most personal of all of Paul’s extant writings, and it reveals much about his character. In it he deals with one or more crises that have arisen in the Corinthian church. The confrontation with these problems caused him to reflect deeply on his relationship with the community and to speak about it frankly. One moment he is venting his feelings of frustration and uncertainty, the next he is pouring out his relief and affection. The importance of the issues at stake between them calls forth from him an enormous effort of personal persuasion, as well as doctrinal considerations that are of great value for us.

Saint John Chrysostom was an important, fourth century, Early Church Father who served as Archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking, and for his denunciation of abuse of authority of both ecclesiastical and political leaders. He was among the most prolific authors in the early Christian church. The word ’Chrysostom’ means ‘golden-mounted’. This name was given to him after he died because all his sermons were eloquent and lovely to hear