Our reading from Corinthians today is a challenge, presented as it is in isolation. Why would Paul tell those with wives to be as though they have none? Those that mourn or rejoice be as though they are not grieving or celebrating? For the reader to be as one with no dealings in the world and no possessions.
Scripture is filled with advice about how to love, psalms to lament, and comfort for those that mourn. Elsewhere Paul commends those that work to support their ministry. These things are a necessary part of our lives, short of joining a convent or monastery (and even then, one is not entirely free).
What Paul is commending is the freedom and time to serve God. Relationships rightly require us to give of our energy, our time, and our resources. In today’s world, work and study consumes much of adult and teenage lives. There are so many demands. In Paul’s ideal world, God would have our captured attention in the same way a child, partner, or career demands. Yet, while God doesn’t demand, God calls. Is there a regular time and space we can be present with God? To allow our souls to settle into the silence of this Sunday’s psalmist, in order to find our hope, refuge, and shelter.
