In the readings appointed for Feria III after the 16th Sunday after Pentecost, we are invited to contemplate two powerful passages that urge us to humility, detachment from worldly goods, and a deeper trust in God. These themes resonate deeply with the penitential spirit of the season and the traditional Christian call to take up the Cross.
1 Corinthians 4:9-14 – The Humiliation and Glory of Apostleship
In this passage, St. Paul paints a vivid picture of the suffering and humility that accompany true apostleship:
“For I think that God hath set forth us apostles, the last, as it were men appointed to death: we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are honourable, but we without honour.” (1 Cor. 4:9-10)
Here, St. Paul contrasts the apparent wisdom and honor of the world with the seeming foolishness of those who follow Christ wholeheartedly. The apostles are treated as “men appointed to death,” despised and rejected by the world. Yet, their apparent shame is, in truth, a sign of their closeness to Christ. The humiliation of the apostles mirrors that of Christ, who, though He was the Son of God, “humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the Cross” (Phil. 2:8).
The early Church Fathers, such as St. John Chrysostom, highlight this paradox of Christian suffering. In his Homilies on First Corinthians, Chrysostom emphasizes that Paul glories in this suffering, recognizing that in bearing such trials, he and the other apostles imitate Christ. Chrysostom writes:
“Paul glories not merely in the sufferings, but in the fact that these sufferings were endured with joy for the sake of the Gospel. He shows how those who follow Christ are indeed ‘fools’ in the eyes of the world, yet are wise in the sight of God.”
This apostolic calling to suffer for Christ is not reserved for the apostles alone. St. Gregory the Great, in his Pastoral Rule, explains that all Christians are called to this path of humility and self-abandonment. He writes, “The greater the humility we display, the more we shall resemble the Divine Teacher, who became poor for our sakes.” This humility is the foundation of true Christian greatness, for in being “fools” for Christ, we become wise in His grace.
Luke 12:32-34 – The Call to Detachment
The Gospel reading from Luke continues this theme of renunciation and trust in God:
“Fear not, little flock, for it hath pleased your Father to give you a kingdom. Sell what you possess, and give alms. Make to yourselves bags which grow not old, a treasure in heaven which faileth not, where no thief approacheth, nor moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:32-34)
In these verses, Christ calls His disciples to radical detachment from worldly goods. His words remind us that our ultimate treasure is not found in the fleeting possessions of this world, but in the eternal riches of the Kingdom of Heaven. This passage echoes the spiritual wisdom of the desert Fathers, who recognized that attachment to earthly things keeps the soul from advancing toward God.
St. Augustine, reflecting on this passage, teaches that true riches are found in charity and holiness. In his Sermon 61, he states:
“Riches that are left behind when we die are not true riches. True riches are those which death cannot take away, namely, our works of love and mercy. These treasures endure before God, who sees all things.”
Similarly, St. Cyril of Alexandria, in his Commentary on Luke, points out that the “little flock” is Christ’s faithful Church, whom the Father has destined for eternal life. Christ’s call to sell what we possess is not merely about material poverty but about the poverty of spirit, a detachment from the false security of the world in order to cling more fully to God.
The “treasure in heaven” is the fruit of our charity and detachment. St. Basil the Great powerfully emphasizes this truth in his homilies on almsgiving. He writes:
“When you give to the poor, you lay up treasures in heaven. You give bread to the hungry, and the Lord stores up that bread for you in the heavenly storehouses. For the mercy shown on earth is great gain in heaven.”
A Path of Humility and Trust
Together, these readings call us to embrace the way of humility, suffering, and detachment. The Christian life is one of paradox: to be honored in the eyes of God, we must accept being dishonored in the eyes of the world; to gain the riches of heaven, we must renounce the riches of the earth. St. Paul’s example of suffering apostleship and Christ’s exhortation to store up heavenly treasures form a single path: the path of self-giving love.
As we reflect on these scriptures in the light of Feria III after the 16th Sunday after Pentecost, we are reminded of the liturgical season’s call to conversion, simplicity, and trust in God’s providence. The apostles and saints serve as models of this way of life, showing us how to live as “fools for Christ” and to seek the true treasure that lies in heaven.
In the words of St. Augustine, “Let us love what God loves, and we shall gain what He has promised: a treasure that will never fail.”