Pauline Reflections 13 - 13th December 2008

“So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in the body we are always away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 

Paul, in these verses, invites the Christian to believe in future life, and this belief should affect the way we live the present. Paul’s knowledge and belief in eternal life inspired him to always have a positive attitude in the face of the storms and challenges of life. He says affirmatively, that ‘we are always of good courage’. Better put, we are ‘always cheerful’ whether things go right or wrong. No matter what situation we find ourselves in, we should always be cheerful, trusting that Jesus is with us and can bring the best out of our present situation. 

Using a platonic dualistic differentiation, he talks about being ‘at home in the body’ and ‘being away from the Lord’. The use of ‘body’ here represents our present mortal existence, with all its attendant weakness and inclination to sin. Hence for Paul, death is preferable to life in the mortal body. As he puts it in Philippians - “to die is gain” 1:21.This implies that we can be relationally distant from God while we remain at the level of our mortal bodies - the flesh.. On the other hand, if we walk by faith, our relationship with God can be truly fulfilling and meaningful in preparation for eternal life. For indeed we walk by faith, and not by sight. As the letter to the Hebrews puts it: “For faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the convictions of things not seen.” 11:1 

Paul’s message here can be compared to the encounter between Jesus and Thomas after the resurrection. “Jesus said to Thomas, Do you believe because you can see me? Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet believe” (John 20:29). So the expression ‘seeing is believing’ cannot be true within the context of the Christian life. It can be better rephrased the other way round: ‘believing leads to seeing and meeting Jesus in life eternal’. 

Prayer 

Lord God, make my life meaningful, open the eyes of my mind, to see you clearly in the daily circumstances of my life. Grant me the courage to be happy and cheerful at all times, looking beyond the storms of life, to a more perfect life with you in eternity. Amen.