“We are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all, even until now.”
— 1 Corinthians 4:13
“Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom.”
— Luke 12:32
Today’s liturgy, falling within the week of the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, and honored by the commemoration of Sanctus Nicolaus de Tolentino, brings together two seemingly contrasting yet mysteriously harmonious passages: the humiliations of the Apostles described by St. Paul, and the gentle assurance of Christ to His “little flock” in St. Luke’s Gospel.
The Apostle as Spectacle and Refuse
St. Paul speaks with apostolic frankness in his first epistle to the Corinthians, laying bare the cost of discipleship and the apostolate:
“We are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men… we are fools for Christ’s sake… we hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no fixed abode” (cf. 1 Cor. 4:9–11).
Here, the Apostle strips away any worldly illusion about the Christian life. His language is not metaphorical; it is a witness born of suffering. As St. John Chrysostom notes:
“Observe how he wishes to shame them, not by severity, but by bringing before them his own sufferings… He shows them his scars, not to boast, but to awaken them from their slumber.”
(Homilies on First Corinthians, Hom. XIII)
Chrysostom’s insight reveals the spiritual pedagogy behind Paul’s words. The Corinthians, drawn to worldly honor and sophistication, must be reminded that the Christian vocation is marked by a radical renunciation. The Apostles are not enthroned in worldly glory but cast aside like the offscouring of humanity — literally, the filth scraped off and discarded.
A Kingdom for the Little Ones
And yet, immediately after contemplating such abasement, the Gospel sets before us the tender voice of the Divine Master:
“Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
Here is the paradox of the Christian vocation: those who are deemed “fools” and “refuse” by the world are in fact heirs to a kingdom — not a temporal domain, but the everlasting reign of God. St. Augustine beautifully comments on this passage:
“How is it that He calls them a little flock? Because of their humility. He gives them a kingdom, because of His mercy, not their merit.”
(Sermon 96, On the New Testament)
Our Lord addresses not the mighty, but the meek; not the self-assured, but the lowly who depend entirely upon the Father. The Kingdom promised is not earned, but gifted — a truth that echoes throughout the Rule of the Saints.
St. Nicholas of Tolentino: A Living Witness
On this day, we also remember Sanctus Nicolaus de Tolentino, a humble Augustinian friar of the 13th century, whose sanctity was not marked by grand acts, but by hidden fidelity. Like the Apostles, he was obscure in the world’s eyes, yet great in the Kingdom. Known for his penitence, fasting, and charity toward the souls in Purgatory, Nicholas embodied the “little flock” — hidden from the world, but beloved of the Father.
His life illustrates what St. Gregory the Great once wrote:
“The only true riches are those that are found in heaven. Earthly possessions only weigh down the soul.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, Hom. 29)
Nicholas possessed little but gave all. His austere life and unceasing prayer stand as a model for those who seek to make their treasure in heaven (cf. Luke 12:34).
Spiritual Application
These readings — and the life of St. Nicholas — call us to re-examine our standards for success and blessedness. Are we willing to be considered fools for Christ? To be counted among the refuse of the world, that we might gain the incorruptible inheritance?
To follow this path is to enter the school of humility. It means to labor without human reward, to suffer without recognition, and to rejoice in the gift of a kingdom unseen. It is the way of the Cross, the way of the Saints.
Let us, then, store up treasure not in acclaim or comforts, but in acts of quiet fidelity, prayer, penance, and mercy. For as St. Leo the Great teaches:
“The path to the heavenly kingdom is not one of soft repose, but of trial and testing… yet the reward surpasses all imagining.”
(Sermon on the Beatitudes)
Closing Prayer
O God, who didst glorify Thy servant Nicholas with the gift of heavenly contemplation and the fervor of apostolic charity, grant us, by his intercession, to walk humbly in Thy service and find our treasure only in Thee. Amen.