Today’s first reading from the 1st Letter to the Corinthians, a book we have been following since last Friday’s readings. A fundamental question Paul is asking the Corinth community is this: are you choosing the Wisdom of men or the Wisdom of the Cross? St. Paul makes it clear that the Cross is not something to which one may add human wisdom and thereby make it superior; rather, the cross stands in absolute, uncompromising contradiction to human wisdom – all part of God’s wisdom and folly.

In yesterday’ reading (1 Cor 2:6-16) Paul holds up God’s wisdom and that Christ has become “wisdom” for us – but it is only encountered in the foolishness of the Cross. And it cannot be perceived by those only interested in pursuing human wisdom.  Rather, it is recognized only by those who have the Spirit. Paul argues that “like is known only by like,” that is, humans do not on their own possess the quality that would make it possible to know God or God’s wisdom. Only God can know God. Therefore, the Spirit of God becomes the link between God and humanity, the “quality” from God himself who makes the knowing possible.

The Corinthians expect Paul to provide them “wisdom” and he appears to disappoint their expectations. Paul argues that the problem is that the Corinthians are still at an immature stage of development: “I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.” (1 Cor 3:1). What Paul means by this is that the “fleshly” or natural person (a term he uses later on)  is one whose existence, perceptions, and behavior are determined by purely natural principles. Such persons are only infants; they remain on a purely human level. On the other hand, they are called to be animated by a higher principle of God’s spirit. They are to become spiritual and mature in their perceptions and behavior. Although they are in Christ, they have not yet been able to absorb anything beyond food appropriate for infants. Their behavior shows that they have not yet understood the wisdom of the cross.

If St. Paul was writing to your faith community, while there might not be the concern about “wisdom” – a hot topic back then – are the lines of division among the community? In Corinth, different factions seem to hold up different measures about status: “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos” (1 Cor 3:4) as though that somehow gave them superior insight or understanding about the faith. In our day I see a similar line of demarcation in what people follow online or in streaming/broadcast television. “I belong to the National Catholic Register” or “I belong to the National Catholic Reporter” or I belong to “Crux Now.”

Each of these news sources have their merits and operate in good faith, but like all of us, they operate in a milieu of spiritual and fleshly people/reporters. My experience is that if people read from these online Catholic news sources, they only read one of them – and likely the one that challenges their already-held view the least.

St. Paul would ask us if such selective reading was wisdom or folly. Was it a cause of division? And was it leading you to be one of “God’s co-workers” (1 Cor 3:9) and take your place in the mission of the church? Was it helping you to mature as a believer?

Image credit: Saint Paul Writing His Epistles | attributed to Valentin de Boulogne | Houston Museum of Fine Arts| PD-US