1 Corinthians 3:12 - 4:2

Epiphany 6 - Year C

1 Corinthians 3:12 - 4:2

Without getting into the double use of "veil" that Paul uses for his own purposes, like pundits misportray and obfuscate with language in our day, we can still fruitfully pursue the matter of transformation by degree. While there are conversion moments, most of life comes through growth, a degree at a time.

Here are some matters that Paul indicates help us to move by degrees to get a degree in Transformation Arts. Refer to Chapter 4, verses 1 and 2.

First, an ever growing appreciation of having received mercy.

Second, persistence in passing on as much mercy as we have received (a mercy ministry).

Third, little by little coming to grips with our areas of shame that we might move pass them.

Fourth, to not falsify past experience of G*D for our own present purposes, especially not to literalize metaphoric material.

And, fifth, to live before others as if we were living with G*D (or, through parallelism, to live with others as if we were living before G*D).

Each of these five key arenas to a transformed life can be approached methodically, by degree. May this day find you a bit further along than you were yesterday. May this day also find you moving off any plateau you had come to in any of these. May you exercise this handful of issues to gain a stronger grip on a preferred future.