In today’s Epistle, St. Paul urges the Christians at Corinth – and us – to imitate his single-minded devotion to Christ and Christian living.  As part of his witness here and elsewhere, St. Paul describes the manner in which his devotion to Christ has cost him; he (along with all the apostles) [is] a fool, weak, dishonored, hungry, thirsty, poorly clothed, beaten, homeless, persecuted, defamed, the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now. (1 Corinthians 4: 10-13).

What kind of witness is this?  It is certainly not the kind of advertisement that Madison Avenue uses!  Indeed, it is a direct contrast to the health, popularity, attractiveness, and success that commercials use as witnesses to their products.  Why do you think it is that the Church uses sacrifice and martyrdom (the ultimate signs of worldly failure) to encourage us to live the way it wants; while the world uses promises of comfort and praise (the ultimate signs of worldly success) to get us to live the way it wants?

Whom do you trust to guide your decisions?  St. Paul or Madison Avenue?

I can certainly tell you which one is most influencing the hearts and minds of this community, our neighbors, our families, and our friends!  If you want to see where someone’s heart is, look to how they spend their time and how they spend their money.  Most people will begrudge God a simple tithe of their time and treasure, but will scrimp and save and jeopardize their future with debt, doing whatever it takes to buy whatever the latest car, fashion, property, or what-not being pushed as the new sign of success. We send our children to schools that bankrupt us to give them a hope of future riches, but blanch at the thought of seminary or holy orders.  Madison Avenue has all but won this war for man’s heart because we have accepted its version of success and failure: we trust Madison Avenue more than the Gospel of Christ, and we value comfort and popularity more than the Truth.

And this trend will be continue until we value all outcomes in terms of Christ and the Gospel.  Was St. Paul a failure?  He wore the wrong clothes and lived without a home.  Was Christ a failure?  He died the foulest criminal’s death, despised by all but a handful of his closest friends and family.

You have all accepted Christ into your heart.  You believe that He is the source of redemption and eternal life.  But do you have the faith to live the life that such belief requires?  In His Gospel lesson today, Christ rebukes His disciples for their lack of faith.  He teaches them that the way to grow in faith is through prayer and fasting; and promises that mature faith can move mountains. 

Do we pray?  Do we fast?  By prayer, I do not just mean fitting in thanks and prayer requests before meals and whenever we feel so inclined; I mean the kind of prayers that Christ Himself offered up to the Father.  I mean setting aside some of our valuable time to pick up our prayer books and actually offer fitting praise, repentance, and thanksgiving to the Lord – even if it means less time spent in worldly entertainment.  By fasting, I mean what the Lord means: disciplining yourself by limiting the types and portions of food we eat.  I am amazed at how we are so willing to follow the dietary advice of nutritionists but are so unwilling to follow the dietary advice of Christ and His Church!

Faith in Christ as the Son of God is the only thing worth knowing, the only firm foundation, the only path to eternal success, the only hope of peace, the only salvation.  Yet instead of putting our faith in Him and His Guiding Love, we have chosen to put our faith in the ephemeral diversions and damnation offered by those who care only about making themselves rich off our naivety.

Trust St. Paul, not Madison Avenue.  Put your faith in Jesus Christ.  He is the Son of God.  He loves you and has a plan for you that will bring you eternal (not ephemeral) peace and prosperity.