From God through Christ

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. - 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

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Reflecting on 2 Corinthians 3:1-9, focus verses 4-6 and St Paul's declaration that our confidence is from God through Christ. Here was an apostle who had every right to boast of his lineage and academic achievements. In his own words, a true blue Pharisee who had upheld the strict observances of Judaism and was schooled under one of the best Rabbi in his time (pre-encounter with Christ). A zealous Jew who vowed to wipe out the fledgling Christian believers and was a witness to the stoning of Christianity's first martyr, St Stephen. Yet after his life-changing encounter with the Risen LORD on the road to Damascus, St Paul was convicted of the shallowness of his own past achievements: For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8).

Reflecting on St Paul's writing and my own experiences, I've also come to realize that in my pre-conversion self, I too had harboured pride in my own Scripture knowledge. I often relied on my own strength and limited human reasoning to pursue my own prideful spiritual path that actually led to spiritual death (and spiritual deafness to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit). It was only after hitting rock bottom in my struggles with mental health issues and spiritual desolation, where it was difficult even to pray, that I finally understood the importance of surrendering to the perfect will of the Father. 

This painful process of the Divine Sculptor relentless hammering at the parts of my prideful character that least resembled Christ, so that I may reflect more of His Son's image to the people He has allowed into my life, went on for at least 2 decades since I first came to Christ as a child of God. This continued until one day, someone sent me a link ( The Surrender Novena: Let Jesus Take Care of Everything - Catholic Exchange)  about the life of St Don Dolindo, a contemporary of St Padre Pio, and was given the beautiful gift of the Surrender Novena. This humble prayer which reminds me of blind Bartimaeus' bold cries to Jesus along the road to Jericho: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner". The Prayer of Surrender goes something like this: "Oh Jesus, I surrender myself to You. Take care of everything". Echoing what Jesus had prayed as He sweated Blood in Gethsemane: "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done." 

I will close my short sharing with the words of this hymn "In Christ Alone"

Verse 1 

In Christ alone my hope is found 

He is my light, my strength, my song 

This cornerstone, this solid ground 

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm 

What heights of love, what depths of peace 

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease 

My comforter, my all in all

Here in the love of Christ I stand 

Verse 2 

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh 

Fullness of God in helpless babe 

This gift of love and righteousness 

Scorned by the ones He came to save 

Till on that cross as Jesus died 

The wrath of God was satisfied 

For ev'ry sin on Him was laid 

Here in the death of Christ I live

Verse 3 

There in the ground His body lay 

Light of the world by darkness slain 

Then bursting forth in glorious day 

Up from the grave He rose again 

And as He stands in victory 

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me 

For I am His and He is mine 

Verse 4 

Bought with the precious blood of Christ 

No guilt in life, no fear in death 

This is the pow'r of Christ in me 

From life's first cry to final breath 

Jesus commands my destiny 

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man 

Can ever pluck me from His hand 

Till He returns or calls me home 

Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand 

Ending 

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man 

Can ever pluck me from His hand 

Till He returns or calls me home 

Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand 

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/m_063OI38RQ?si=0u0ACeBzDW59B0pO 

Words and Music by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend © 2002 Thankyou Music (PRS) / Adm. worldwide at CaptiolCMGPublishing.com, excluding Europe which is adm. by IntegrityMusic.com

Reflection on 2 Corinthians 3:1-9 by Chris Tan

By his Spirit | A Domini Spiritu

The Lord makes us more and more like him (2 Cor 3:18). 

Who am I? I'm a human being. My soul lives in my body. But I also have the Holy Spirit who makes me like Jesus.

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) in his most famous literary work "Pensées" ("Thoughts") wrote: "Man's greatness lies in his awareness of his own smallness." The central theme of his book is the paradox of the human condition. We are suspended between nothingness and infinity. Probably each of us experiences this reality day by day. And it was also true in the life of the Apostle Paul. He knew his misery but also the power of the Holy Spirit.

How is it in your life? Are you focused more on your weaknesses or your strengths? Are you a pessimist or optimist? Somehow it's a matter of your choice. We very often put a veil over our face. We keep living in the old way. But we are invited to live in the new way. This veil should be removed by Christ. If our hearts are covered with that veil of pessimism, we do not understand the power of the Holy Spirit. Often our minds are covered with the same veil, and we can't even move and fulfill our duties.

That's why in the Lenten Season let us replace the old way of thinking about ourselves. Let's start a new way of understanding ourselves and the history of humanity. The Holy Spirit does give life to the children of God. His grace fills us with confidence so that we can be very bold. We cannot follow those people who do not believe. We cannot focus on our misery. Our minds shouldn't be hardened but open to the Good News of the Scriptures. Let's read the Holy Bible with an open heart and mind.

May the Holy Spirit strengthen our weakness and enlighten our minds. Let's turn again to the Lord so he could heal us and take away our veil. In this way we will be changed into his glorious image. Amen.

 Reflection on 2 Corinthians 3: 10-18 by Józef Trzebuniak.

(Listen to podcast here)

Always been Yes | Est in illo

"For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No,’ but in him it has always been ‘Yes.’"- 2 Corinthians 1:19.

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The epistle of 2 Corinthians is one of the apostle Paul’s most personal and emotionally honest letters. Some Christians in Corinth preferred leaders who looked impressive, powerful and successful. The apostle Paul didn’t fit that exact description. He suffered, changed travel plans, worked with his hands, and spoke plainly. Hence the church began to wonder whether he was trustworthy or even truly sent by God. The letter of 2 Corinthians is Paul’s response. This letter is very unique because the apostle Paul talks openly about his anxiety and emotional pain, near-death experiences, disappointment with churches and even about his tears, fear, and weakness. Paul does not hide these things. Instead, Paul argues that they actually prove the truth of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 1:12).

In the first chapter of this letter, Paul reminds the church in Corinth that Jesus Christ is not an inconsistent message. Paul emphasizes that Jesus is divine, the Son of God, the Messiah. This is the foundation: whatever comes from Him is authoritative and reliable. We live in a world full of uncertainty and mixed messages, broken promises, changed plans, words that don’t hold truth. But the apostle Paul points us to a Saviour who is unchanging. Always the same. Jesus Christ is God’s Yes to sinners, Yes to the broken, Yes to reconciliation, Yes to salvation. That means our faith rests not on perfect leaders, perfect plans or perfect circumstances, but on a perfectly faithful Saviour.

The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is found in Jesus alone. As we read in the Gospel of John: John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Therefore, our Lord Jesus is God’s “Yes” to humanity’s need for salvation.

This matters because our faith is not built on sight (2 Corinthians 5:7 — “For we walk by faith, not by sight") . Every promise God has made—about grace, mercy, restoration, and hope—finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus is the living proof that God means what He says.

This Earthly life is very unstable and therefore we have to cling to this truth: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” - Hebrews 13:8. Let’s trust Him and live in the confidence of His unchanging faithfulness. 

Reflection on 2 Corinthians 1: 12-24 by Hanne

(Listen to podcast here)