Kind of sorrow | Secundum Deum tristitia

For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation - 2 Corinthians 7:10.

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During the Triduum Sacrum, we followed Jesus Christ through His suffering, most especially on Good Friday. We witnessed the depth of His sacrifice for our salvation. As we meditated on the Stations of the Cross, we were taught that it was love that nailed Him to the wood; because He chose love, He remained there. His ultimate purpose was to lead us away from sin.

We might reflect now on the most painful moments of our own lives. When we experience suffering, we often struggle to understand the true value of our "cross." We ask: Why did God allow me to suffer so much? Why did this happen to me? There are scars on our hearts that we often prefer to forget.

Yet, we must ask: What is the kind of sorrow God wants me to experience?

My heavenly Father, please help me to understand the value of all suffering. Strengthen me so that I may face my trials with human dignity, just as Jesus Christ did. I desire to accept the whole story of my life. I need Your grace to support me, for I am often too weak to face these challenges alone.

I pray for the grace to repent and change my ways. As a follower of Christ, I seek to be ready for whatever You have prepared for me. I surrender my past, my present, and my future to You. I trust in Your perfect, Holy Will, knowing it leads me away from sin and toward salvation.

Help me understand that godly sorrow is a necessary part of my journey to cleanse me from sin. Open my spiritual eyes so that I may see my life as You see it - clearer and deeper. May Your Holy Spirit encourage me on my spiritual journey, especially in times of suffering.

Reflection on 2 Corinthians 7:9-16 by Józef Trzebuniak.

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Affliction but overjoyed | Superabundo gaudio

I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy - 2 Corinthians 7:4.

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Reflecting on 2 Corinthians 7:1-8, focus verse 4. St. Paul speaks of his pride and consolation at the repentance of the believers in Corinth. This bustling coastal city filled with a myriad of pagan gods and goddesses, including Poseidon (god of the sea) & Aphrodite (goddess of love & fertility). It was in such a challenging spiritual climate that the early believers came to believe in the good news preached by the apostle to the gentiles. St. Paul, echoing the joyful exclamation of the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son:  "for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate." (Luke 15:24), upon the return of his younger son. 

In this Holy Week leading up to Resurrection Sunday, let's take a moment to quiet our hearts to pray for the salvation of souls, especially among our loved ones and friends.

I'll close with this beautiful hymn that reminds us of our Heavenly Father's Love, and the Immense Price paid by Jesus at Calvary. 

How Deep the Father's Love For Us 

Verse 1 

How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure 

That He should give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure 

How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turned His face away 

As wounds which mar the Chosen One, bring many sons to glory 

Verse 2 

Behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulders 

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice call out among the scoffers 

It was my sin that held Him there until it was accomplished 

His dying breath has brought me life; I know that it is finished 

Verse 3 

I will not boast in anything: no gifts, no power, no wisdom 

But I will boast in Jesus Christ; His death and resurrection 

Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer 

But this I know with all my heart: His wounds have paid my ransom 

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Reflection on 2 Corinthians 7:1-8 by Chris Tan.

The grace of God | Gratia Dei

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain – 2 Corinthians 6:1.

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 In the second epistle to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul speaks with urgency and honesty about what it means to live as God’s people in the real world. His message is both a warning and an encouragement: “Do not receive God’s grace in vain.”

God’s grace through salvation is His free gift of forgiveness and new life, made possible through our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ, received by faith.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that to receive grace “in vain” is to never allow it to transform how we live. Paul urges us to recognize that now is the time to respond. Not when life is easier or less busy, but today.

We can look to Abraham for an example. Abraham did not simply follow the traditions he inherited. Instead, he chose obedience to God over cultural expectation. He left behind the familiar world of Ur. He left behind its customs, its way of life and stepped out into the unknown. 

Tradition and routine can become so familiar that we stop questioning whether they truly align with God’s Word. Like Abraham, we must be willing to leave behind anything that stands in the way of following God. Therefore, we must never allow habits or traditions to cause us to dismiss God’s truth.

Abraham’s journey was not comfortable. Paul’s life as a missionary was also not comfortable. In today’s passage from 2 Corinthians 6, we read about many ways how Paul suffered. Following God means breaking away from patterns, habits, or even traditions that hold us back spiritually.

There is also a vital truth we must face: we can be wrong about many things in this life and still go on living. But if we are wrong about who we are trusting for salvation, the consequences are eternal. This is not something we can afford to ignore or delay. We must ask ourselves honestly where is our trust placed?

Like Abraham and Paul, we are called to remain faithful even when the path is difficult. Be sure of where your trust truly lies. Trust God in the unknown.

 

Reflection on 2 Corinthians 6:1–10 by Hanne