23rd Week in Ordinary Time : Saturday 12th September 2020

Paul reminds the Corinthians that avoiding idol worship is fundamental to true faith in Christ. Paul warns the Christians that if one eats at the sacrificial banquet offered by the gentiles, one is united in some way to the god in whose honour the sacrifice is offered and to those who honour this god.

Once converted, Christians must guard against any return to paganism.

All actions must proceed from faith in the one Lord. The cup of blessing makes all Christians sharers in the blood of Christ. The bread they share binds them to Christ and one another. As the body of Christ, they are nourished by this sharing.

The unity celebrated during the Lord’s supper can be damaged when Christians take part in idol worship, which can cause scandal and division within the community. It is not possible to eat at the Lord’s Supper and follow the practices of idol worship.

In his teachings, Jesus makes this point clearly when he states that those who call on the name of Jesus as Lord must genuinely demonstrate the quality of their relationship with the Lord.

They can do this if they hear his words and put them into practice. Jesus uses the image of a fruit-tree to emphasise the genuineness of one’s action; that is, “no good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit” (Lk 6:43).

Christians, therefore, must demonstrate through their deeds what they profess and believe.

Lord, help me do what I say.