First Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

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The Temptation of Jesus Lectionary:  22 Reading 1 -  Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17 Reading 2 -  Romans 5:12-19 Verse - Matthew 4:4b Gospel -  Matthew 4:1-11 One does not live on bread alone. Every year, we begin our Lenten journey in the same place: the desert.   The Gospel for this Sunday places Jesus in the wilderness, fasting and praying, confronted by temptation. In that stark setting we find the pattern of our own Lenten journey: a movement away from distraction toward the heart of God, a testing that reveals what truly sustains us, and a call to conversion that reshapes our lives.  Throughout our lives, we are frequently confronted with tests … and these tests generally reveal something about ourselves: In school, we demonstrate that we have mastered an academic subject with a test  in sports, we demonstrate our level of a particular skill with a contest  In life, we demonstrate the integri...
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Review: 1 Corinthians

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1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians by Kimlyn J Bender

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The is a commentary of St Paul’s Letter to the Church in Corinth (aka 1 Corinthians).  It is the second letter (the first was referenced within this one but is apparently lost to history) to the Greek converts (Gentiles) in a city with a disreputable reputation that apparently created aberrant behavior and discord within the community Paul had founded two years prior.  This letter is an important factor driving the characteristic of most Pauline tradition Christian Churches today.  The Letter consists of sixteen (16) chapters in roughly six or seven parts dealing with divisions within the Church, sexual immorality and idolatry, proper worship, and the cross and resurrection of Christ.  

Written in the first century (approx 55 AD), the cultural context for Paul and the Corinthians can be different enough to make proper exegesis difficult for some passages.  The commentary walks through each chapter in order and tries to provide that context for better understanding of what Paul is actually trying to say … and it does a pretty good job of that, even to the point of highlighting problematic interpretations (especially with regard to the apparent duality of the text that actually isn’t) with some rational discourse on resolving apparent contradictions with prior/subsequent teachings (such as the prohibition of women speaking in the assembly).  Speculative context that makes some of the passages easier for modern sensibilities is generally avoided though, especially within the realm of sexual immoralities that largely conform to Paul’s Judaic roots.  The language is clear and accessible with as much depth as needed to fully explain the concepts and practical direction behind each group of verses and would be an important addition to any study of this Epistle.

I. Address (1:1–9)
II. Disorders in the Corinthian Community (1:10–6:20)
        A. Divisions in the Church (1:10–4:21)
        B. Moral Disorders (5:1–6:20)
III. Answers to the Corinthians’ Questions (7:1–11:1)
        A. Marriage and Virginity (7:1–40)
        B. Offerings to Idols (8:1–11:1)
IV. Problems in Liturgical Assemblies (11:2–14:40)
        A. Women’s Headdresses (11:3–16)
        B. The Lord’s Supper (11:17–34)
        C. Spiritual Gifts (12:1–14:40)
V. The Resurrection (15:1–58)
        A. The Resurrection of Christ (15:1–11)
        B. The Resurrection of the Dead (15:12–34)
        C. The Manner of the Resurrection (15:35–58)
VI. Conclusion (16:1–24)

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#1Corinthians #NetGalley.

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