widely reported

1 corinthians 5:1-8; Ps 5 Lead me in your justice Lord; Luke 6:6-11

Sometimes I find myself wondering, "what would St Paul say about our current culture."

I wonder how he would mange the various decisions that our society has made in regards to say sex marriage, abortion on demand, cohabitation, sexual explicit movies and video games, the rampant usage of violence in films, the unheard of amount of divorce and the disposal nature of marriage in general.

What would St. Paul say.

Into day's first reading a get a sense of St. Paul's thinking:"It is widely reported that there is immortality among you, and immortality of the kind not found even among the pagans-a man's living with his father's wife."

St. Paul is appalled at such behavior.  He is astonished at such insolence.  He is amazed that the community is tolerating such practices in their midst.

"The one who did this deed should be expelled from your midst."

Now listen to the next line very carefully, "I, for my part, although absent in body but present in spirit, have already pronounced judgment on the one who has committed this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus."

So much for the mindset of today where every one claims, "you are not to judge me."

Sure we are.  We are called to make judgments in light of our Christian identity.  There are some things that are not acceptable.   Perhaps we should over come that societal poisoning of wishing to tolerate everyone and truly start to love them.

No amount of love is every considered love if we see a brother in a sinful situation and leave him there.

We must act to help him be set free from the poison and prison he is living in.

"You are to deliver this man over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord."  St. Paul is harsh.  St Paul is truly and sincerely in love.

What does mean?  Part of it is the ability to recognize the action as belonging not of God but of Satan himself.    Only then can true conversion be obtained.

St. Paul does not mess around.  He is hardcore.  Love trumps tolerance every day.  May it be so in our lives.

"Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness (tolerance of everything), but with the unleaven bread of sincerity and truth (what love looks like)"