+ If Paul was hard on the Corinthians (and he was), we see here today that he was equally hard on himself; if not much more so. He told all that he did not preach the Gospel for some personal gain. He felt compelled to do so, as shown in his own self-imposed consequences —
“And woe to me if I do not preach it!”
He did not demand his rights as a missionary to be fed and housed. He saw himself as a “slave to all” in order that he could save all; that is, bring them to Christ. Then he brilliantly compared the pursuit of a Christlike life and a Gospel-driven life to an athlete who “exercises discipline in every way” so that they can win a “perishable crown,” to the life of a Christian who is seeking “an imperishable crown.”
+Jesus, similarly, addresses his disciples, telling them that they (indeed, every disciple) must be “fully trained” or become like their “teacher” so that they can train others to do the same. Then Jesus utters this famous teaching about those who would hypocritically look for, point out, and talk about other people’s faults without noticing their own (and usually bigger) faults.
“Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.”
+ Both Paul and Jesus had the same goal here: to lead people closer to the kingdom of God. Even though there is another set of readings provided for this feast of St. John Chrysostom, the ordinary readings for the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time fit perfectly well.
St. John Chrysostom lived an austere life as a monk and memorized the Bible so he could teach it endlessly to others. He was quite the preacher and teacher and orator as recognized by the name others gave him — “Chrysostom,” which meant “golden-mouthed.”
And like Paul and all other disciples, St. John Chrysostom felt compelled to not only follow, but also to become like Christ in every way. That was his calling, and that is our calling.
And Psalm 84 brilliantly sings out the insatiable desire to know and love God in our lives, especially in our desire to be like Christ —
“My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”
