Apostle Paul emphasized that his ministry to the Corinthian church was not for profit. Why did the Apostle Paul make this affirmation? The reason was because at that time, there were "fake apostles" who preached the word of God in order to earn money. The apostle Paul did not want his ministry to be hampered because of money problems. Therefore, he refused to accept money from the Corinthian church. Instead, he worked hard as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3). Since the Apostle Paul's motivation in serving was to do God's will, not to seek profit, he did not want his ministry to be disrupted by money matters.
The attitude of the Apostle Paul
teaches an important thing: our service in the church should not be based on
the motivation to seek profit. What
about each of our services? If we still
have a desire for profit in our service, we must evaluate our love for God and
for others.
Currently, many medical personnel
and volunteers are giving their time and energy freely. There are others who donate
blood, distribute masks and food for no charge. At home, we see a housewife cooks for her neighbor who is in self-isolation. Some of us comfort
friends who are sick or grieving and pray for them.
Ironically there are also those
who are always looking for profit and do not want to lose anything. They do not want to give up their money, time,
positions, nor status. Because of their
greed, the safety of many people was neglected.
The desire for profit will ignore many while the desire for self-giving
will save many.
Reflection on 2 Corinthians 12:11-21 by Fr. Fransiskus Diaz, SVD
(Listen to the Podcast here)
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