Singaculum apostolatus | Seal of my apostleship

"For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 9:2).

Apostle Paul was searching for his own identity. He wanted to understand himself better so he could help other people. He knew that he was an apostle, but some people were questioning Paul's authority because he wasn't one of the original Twelve and because he worked with his hands.

He was called by Jesus Christ. Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, and he saw Him with his own eyes (1 Corinthians 9:1). But he also calls himself "the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle," because he persecuted the Church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9).

Nonetheless, he became a faithful servant of Christ and an ambassador for Him (2 Corinthians 5:20). He was beaten, put in prison, and treated like trash (1 Corinthians 4:11-13). When people said he was not a real apostle, he defended himself boldly (2 Corinthians 11:5).

He told the Corinthians, "You are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 9:2). You are my living letter that everyone can read (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). This is what Christian leadership looks like: I serve you, not the other way around. My power comes from my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). I don't demand my rights - I give up everything for the Gospel (1 Corinthians 9:12). "By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10).

My life proves the Gospel is real when you see Jesus in me - in my love, my sacrifice, and my willingness to suffer for you (Galatians 6:17).

Now, let us ask ourselves: Do we know who we really are? What do we want to achieve in our lives and in our communities? Isn't it enough to follow Jesus and become like Jesus to others?

Do you know your identity? Do you know yourself and your ministry? Maybe you also have sinned, but Jesus has helped you. He took pity on you. Therefore, preach the Good News and work as an apostle of Christ in your own way.

Let us sow spiritual seed among our brothers and sisters, just as Apostle Paul did in his time (1 Corinthians 9:11). Amen. 

Reflection on 1 Cor 9: 1-12 by Fr. Józef Trzebuniak SVD

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