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Giovedi, 28 marzo 2024 - San Castore di Tarso ( Letture di oggi)

1 Corinthians 9


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1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?2Even if to others I am not an apostle, to you at any rate I am, for you are the seal of my apostolate inthe Lord.3To those who want to interrogate me, this is my answer.4Have we not every right to eat and drink?5And every right to be accompanied by a Christian wife, like the other apostles, like the brothers of theLord, and like Cephas?6Are Barnabas and I the only ones who have no right to stop working?7What soldier would ever serve in the army at his own expense? And who is there who would plant avineyard and never eat the fruit from it; or would keep a flock and not feed on the milk from his flock?8Do not think that this is merely worldly wisdom. Does not the Law say exactly the same? It is written inthe Law of Moses:9You must not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the corn. Is it about oxen that God is concernedhere,10or is it not said entirely for our sake? Clearly it was written for our sake, because it is right thatwhoever ploughs should plough with the expectation of having his share, and whoever threshes should threshwith the expectation of having his share.11If we have sown the seed of spiritual things in you, is it too much to ask that we should receive fromyou a crop of material things?12Others have been given such rights over you and do we not deserve more? In fact, we have neverexercised this right; on the contrary, we have put up with anything rather than obstruct the gospel of Christ in anyway.13Do you not realise that the ministers in the Temple get their food from the Temple, and those whoserve at the altar can claim their share from the altar?14In the same way, the Lord gave the instruction that those who preach the gospel should get their livingfrom the gospel.15However, I have never availed myself of any rights of this kind; and I have not written this to securesuch treatment for myself; I would rather die than that . . . No one shal take from me this ground of boasting.16In fact, preaching the gospel gives me nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion and I should bein trouble if I failed to do it.17If I did it on my own initiative I would deserve a reward; but if I do it under compulsion I am simplyaccepting a task entrusted to me.18What reward do I have, then? That in my preaching I offer the gospel free of charge to avoid using therights which the gospel al ows me.19So though I was not a slave to any human being, I put myself in slavery to al people, to win as manyas I could.20To the Jews I made myself as a Jew, to win the Jews; to those under the Law as one under the Law(though I am not), in order to win those under the Law;21to those outside the Law as one outside the Law, though I am not outside the Law but under Christ'slaw, to win those outside the Law.22To the weak, I made myself weak, to win the weak. I accommodated myself to people in all kinds ofdifferent situations, so that by al possible means I might bring some to salvation.23Al this I do for the sake of the gospel, that I may share its benefits with others.24Do you not realise that, though al the runners in the stadium take part in the race, only one of themgets the prize? Run like that -- to win.25Every athlete concentrates completely on training, and this is to win a wreath that wil wither, whereasours wil never wither.26So that is how I run, not without a clear goal; and how I box, not wasting blows on air.27I punish my body and bring it under control, to avoid any risk that, having acted as herald for others, Imyself may be disqualified.