In the Pauline epistle today, we hear the words of the Apostle Paul when he speaks about his friendship with his companions: “I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied. For they “refreshed” my spirit and yours.” (1 Cor. 16:17-18) In Paul’s letter to Timothy (1 Tim. 1:16) he makes mention of Onesiphorus and how he often “refreshed” him. The word “refreshed” is used on both occasions. It means to live again. It also means to make something better or to make it like what it was before. We may have heard it used in the context of drinking a glass of water: “Could you please refresh my drink?” It means to make it new or refill it with juice, soda or ice. After taking a shower, we might say: “I feel refreshed.” This means that we feel rejuvenated. So, here, we can say that the friends/companions that Paul mentions made him feel “alive” again and rejuvenated. This is how we as Christians in the Church, particularly in the parish, should behave toward each other. We should be refreshing to each other.

The circumcision of the man was a way that God established his relationship with the Jewish people in a tangible way. (Genesis 17: 10-12) It signified the difference between the Jewish people and the gentiles. It was not however a permanent rule because God in his divine providence knew that in order to reconcile mankind to Himself, he would have to send his Son to the world to become a man and die for our sins. Just as Christ became “sin” for us through his death and resurrection, (2 Cor. 5:21) so also, he became “circumcision” for us. So, no longer was it necessary for a man to have circumcision as an outwardly sign of a relationship with God; it was now only necessary that the heart of a person be made right with God and through the heart there would be a development of a strong relationship with God, leading to life a of prayer, fasting, love for others, peace, joy, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and devotion to the Sacraments. (Galatians 5: 22-23)

There once was a man who wanted to get his clothes dry cleaned for an occasion the next day. Unfortunately, all the dry-cleaning places he went to could not fulfill that order within one day. He did, however, remember that there was a one-hour dry cleaning establishment further from his home. He went there and gave his clothes. When the owner told him that he could pick up his clothes in three days, the man was confused. He asked, “No, I need it tomorrow.” The owner said, “O, we can’t do that…that would be too soon.” The man asked, “But, then why does your sign say, “One-hour dry cleaning?” The owner replied, “O that’s just our sign, we actually don’t do that…” The theme of the story and how it is connected to my message is this: our Christianity is often a label, sort of like the advertisement. We are known as Christians. We have the baptismal certificate to prove it. We have our church membership. All of this is necessary. But if Christ visits our life (spiritually), like the man visited the dry-cleaner, what do we have to show as proof of our Christianity. If Christ says to us, “You advertised that you are Christian, so can you show me your prayer life, your parish attendance, your fasting, your giving to the poor, your forgiveness toward others who have offended you.” What would we have to show? Most of us, like that owner, may have to be honest and say that “It is a sign that we have but we don’t really practice what the sign says.”

We are gathered together today: the first Sunday after the Ascension of our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ. We are met with the words of the Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians in chapters 7 and 9. In chapter 7: 1-2, St. Paul talks about how a man and a woman should have a spouse, albeit because otherwise we might fall into sexual immorality. In chapter 7: 25-34, he talks about those who are married and unmarried. He also talks explicitly about how the unmarried can focus on God; and how the married must focus on their spouse. In chapter 9: 1-10, he mentions that he and Barnabas are not married but that the other apostles are. The content of chapter 7 and 9 are being read today, partial because it is the Sunday of Monks, but also because the Church is attempting to explain the three "journeys" that we all have in life; that is, either we are single, or we are living a celibate life (unmarried), or we are married. These are NO three different paths or roads, but a "journey" that an individual takes on the same road. The Scriptures do not point to singlehood, celibacy, or married-life as being different roads that we take that are isolated from each other; instead, it is the same road that each one has chosen to take. Although the path or road is the same, the journey has different struggles and experiences. Let me explain this a little bit further.