The Eight Chapter of 13 of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (To update)

The Eight Chapter 

of

 the Second Letter

 of 

 St. Paul

 to the Corinthians

¹ We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; ² for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

(The Eight Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verses 1 to 2)

Oh God my Father one thing that has always amazed me since I have been working with migrants and Asylum Seekers is their generosity. Even in their limited resources, they are ready to think of others before themselves. Shamefully for us, such people are of the Muslim belief. Amen, I pray that we learn from the values and beliefs of others before judging them Amen.


³ For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, ⁴ begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints- ⁵ and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the LORD and, by the will of God, to us, ⁶ so that we might urge Titus, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you.


(The Eight Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verses 3 to 6)


Oh God my Father this is what I call faith in action, when one gives even though one's means are already limited because this means self-sacrifice and letting go to the will of God Amen.

⁷ Now as you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you-so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

(The Eight Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 7)

Oh God my Father You have given us many gifts and skills in all areas of knowledge, however, the greatest gift that we can give to You is that of ourselves Amen total and unconditionally Amen. I pray to be able to renounce myself totally to You Amen.

⁸ I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others.

(The Eight Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 8)

Oh God my Father, You know my heart better than any other. You know me as I really and truly am and not as I project myself to be during my daily life, even though I am genuine and transparent in my thoughts and in my actions Amen.

⁹ For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

(The Eight Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 9)

Oh God my Father health and time are both considered as valuable assets. However when I share my time and my health with others in service I am becoming poor in both sources but becoming rich in graces and spiritual growth, for when we give we also receive Amen.

The seventh chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians of 12 chapters

The Seventh Chapter 

of

 the Second Letter

 of 

 St. Paul

 to the Corinthians

¹ Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and of spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of God.

(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 1)

Oh God, my Father, this is my one and only aim in life that is to live according to Your ways. Therefore, I pray for Your support in both the physical and even more in the spiritual Amen.

² Make room in your hearts for us; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.

(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 2)

Make time and room for Jesus in your hearts. He has not taken anything from us. On the contrary, he has never stopped giving us in order to see us be whole persons. Jesus has never imposed Himself on us but has always given us the freedom to choose whether to believe in Him or not. Blessed be Your name, my God and Father Amen.


³ I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.



(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 3)


Oh God, my Father even though I may speak badly about my wife, I cannot say that I hate her from my heart, however, as to this date, it is not healthy for us to live together as a family Amen.


⁴ I often boast about you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with consolation; I am overjoyed in all our affliction.


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 4)


Oh God, my Father if St. Paul had proud in the Corinthians how much more You have pride in us, even though we are still sinners Amen.

⁵ For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way-disputes with-out and fears within.


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 5)


Oh God, my loving Father, when I was married my soul was not at rest or at peace. I had a lot of stress at home and a lot at work. I could not find comfort for my soul, if not when we met in prayer, and even during that time, I experienced troubles and persecution both within and nearby in my inner circles Amen.


⁶ But God, who consoles the downcast, consoled us by the arrival of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his coming but also by the consolation with which he was consoled about you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verses 6 to 7)


Oh God, my Father I thank You for all the consolations that You give me. You are my therapist, my support systems my everything Amen.

⁸ For even if I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it (though I did regret it, for I see that I grieved you with that letter, though only briefly).


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 8)


Oh brothers and sisters, I also ask your forgiveness especially if I have offended or hurt, or even scandalised anybody by anything written in this blog. I apologize and hold myself guilty and responsible Amen.


⁹ Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance; for you felt a godly grief, so that you were not harmed in any way by us.


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 9)


Oh God, my Father how nice it is to focus on the positive instead of on the negative, and focus on the good that resulted from a negative situation instead of the contrary Amen.


¹⁰ For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death.


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 10)


A typical contrast oh Jesus Christ my Father is that of St. Peter who had godly grief which led to repentance and that of Judas Iscariot which led to suicide. I pray that even though I am a sinner I will always experience Your presence every day of my life Amen.  


¹¹ For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point, you have proved yourselves guiltless in the matter.


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 11)


Oh God, my Father I hold myself responsible and accountable for my sins that were done in private and those that were done in public. I also ask and beg for forgiveness because I am still weak as a human being and still prone to sin Amen.


¹² So although I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did the wrong, nor on account of the one who was wronged, but in order that your zeal for us might be made known to you before God.


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 12)


Oh, brothers and sisters, I write to you not because I feel better or closer in my relationship with God more than anybody else, but in order for you to share the beauty of the Word of God so that through prayer and more personal reflection God will enter your life and have his rightful place forever as He does in mine Amen.


¹³ In this we find comfort. In addition to our own consolation, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his mind has been set at rest by all of you.


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 13)


As my consolation oh God my Father I offer it to all the people in the world who are being cured of the Coronavirus. I thank You for each and every healed person both in Malta and more abroad Amen.


¹⁴ For if I have been somewhat boastful about you to him, I was not disgraced; but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved true as well.


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 14)


Oh God, my Father, even though people speak positively of us and boost our self-esteem, the same mouth that promotes, can easily demote if things end up negatively. Therefore I prefer to live a simple and humble life, and if I am worthy of the praise I am praised along with You, for all I know, all I have is from You and by You and after all Yours. The only thing that I can claim as being my own is my sins Amen.


¹⁵ And his heart goes out all the more to you, as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶ I rejoice because I have complete confidence in you.


(The Seventh Chapter of the Second Chapter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verses 15 to 16)



Oh God, my Father, if there is anything that I can boast in, is in Your loving mercy and kindness. I proclaim both in private and more in public that there is none like You, and that I find my glory in the power of the cross Amen.


Oh God, my Father I would like to end this seventh chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians with the following prayer:-


Oh God, my Father, many of us have idols and role models that can vary from pop singers to football players among others. We try to identify with such people to try and share in the image of glory and success that they project on Society. Even though I am still a sinner and maybe because I am still a sinner I identify with people such as St. Augustine of Hippo who did not live a life that was always in Your Favour, however when the time came You changed his life. I also identify with St. Francis of Assisi who experienced You in the beauty of nature and the simplicity and beauty of life as lived through being in relationship with You and others who in their poverty were living mirrors of Your presence Amen 

The sixth chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians of 13

The Sixth Chapter 
of

 the Second Letter

 of 

                  St. Paul to the Corinthians

¹ As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. ² For he says, "At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you."See, now is the acceptable time; see now is the day of salvation!

(The Sixth Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verses 1 to 2)

Oh, brothers and sisters, the grace that comes from God is true and is worth taking seriously. I pray God to bless all that I do and those whom I work with. God blesses my work and my clients. Once I am convinced of such a blessing I feel rest assured that all that is going to happen is according to God's blessing and approval, and therefore I accept all that will happen as being according to His will even if I do not understand the reasons of the outcome Amen. My prayer is "May Your will be done!" Amen.

Oh God I pray that I am always found ready to appear in Your presence, therefore every day for me is the day of my salvation Amen.


³ We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, ⁴ but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way; through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, ⁵ beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; ⁶ by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, ⁷ truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; ⁸ in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; ⁹ as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see-we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.


(The Sixth Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verses 3 to 10)


Oh God, my Father, even though as a human I am a weak person both in body and in spirit, I would like to commend myself totally to You. I pray for Your help because the spirit is willing however the body and the material world put obstacles in my way all the time Amen. However, if it is Your will then it shall be done Amen.


¹¹ We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you.


(The Sixth Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verse 11)


Oh God, my Father, I thank You for having such an open heart that is loving and compassionate and ready to welcome even those who do not believe in You. Thank You, Jesus.


¹² There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. ¹³ In return I speak as to children open wide your hearts also.


(The Sixth Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verses 12 to 13)



Oh God, my Father, these words are also for us and not for the Corinthians. You are personally telling us that You have no restrictions on how much You love us but we do have boundaries. If we love our families, property, wealth, career, ambitions, we are placing a condition in our relationship with You, who shows us unconditional love even though as sinners we do not deserve it Amen.


¹⁴ Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? ¹⁵ What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever?



(The Sixth Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verses 14 to 15)



Oh, brothers and sisters, this verse makes us aware of the need to be choosy in whom we consider as being our friends. I pray for good judgement and discernment to find friends in positive people and also people who already have a good relationship with You and You with them Amen. 


¹⁶ What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ¹⁷ Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, ¹⁸ and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughter says the Lord Almighty."



(The Sixth Chapter of the Second Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians verses 16 to 18)



Oh, brothers and sisters what greater assurance can we ever be given apart from this. God is making a commitment to me and you that He will always be with us and that from our side, we are to keep away from evil ways. Oh God, my Father, with Your help we can overcome the evil in us. I pray that You blow Your Holy Spirit over the World and purge it free from the forces of evil Amen.


Oh God, my Father, I would like to end this meditation on the sixth chapter of the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians with the following prayer:-


Oh God, my Father today I pray for a global cleansing of the world from the forces of evil that stop at nothing but to see us unhappy and in conflict with each other and with ourselves and most of all with You. I pray that You evict the evil spirits that are found in many walks of life, so that we can then experience Your love and peace to the fullest Amen