This post begins with Fr. Alexandre's brief literal exposition, followed by his slightly longer moral exposition.
LITERAL COMMENTARY
1 Cor 1:26-29. "For see your calling, brothers, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, not many noble." Consider who and what sort are those whom God has called to faith, and who and what sort are those through whom He called. Few are there among you who have been called, and among those through whom you have been called, who are distinguished by worldly wisdom and learning; few are powerful or conspicuous by secular dignities; few are illustrious by nobility of birth. "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong." But God chose the less wise according to the world's opinion—that is, unlettered and unlearned men—not only to receive faith but to preach it to others, in order to put to shame those who are puffed up with worldly wisdom, by whose vain lights they could not lead others to eternal salvation, nor could they themselves attain it or know and enter its way—which uneducated men and fishermen accomplished by divine revelation. And God chose men not conspicuous by any worldly power but common folk and the poor, in order to put to shame by comparison with these the powerful of this world, who could not do what God accomplished through these—namely, to convert men to the worship of the one true God and to holiness of life, and to show them the path of true blessedness and the means to obtain it. "And God chose what is ignoble in the world and what is despised"—that is, those who were ignoble and obscure among men and on that account were despised—"and things that are not"—that is, men of no name, of no worth according to the world's opinion—God called to faith and chose for the preaching of the Gospel and the spiritual renewal of the world, "to destroy what is"—to show that whatever the world looks up to as great and sublime ought to be regarded as small. "That no flesh might boast in His sight"—that no man might boast before God and attribute anything to himself in the business of eternal salvation, as if he were called to faith on account of gifts of intellect, on account of nobility of birth, on account of riches, on account of worldly power.
1 Cor 1:30-31. "But from Him you are in Christ Jesus." From God's mercy and grace you have been called to faith and incorporated into Christ Jesus, and made partakers through Him of all spiritual goods. "Who was made for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption"—through whom true wisdom has been given to us, through whom we have been made righteous and holy by receiving remission of sins and by the Holy Spirit purifying and renewing our souls, through whom finally we have been redeemed from the slavery of sin, from the tyranny of the devil, from the dominion of death. He said "from Him" not only by reason of creation but by reason of the salvation given. "For to as many as received Him, He gave power to become sons of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." For because he said that God chose what is foolish in the world and weak and ignoble, he aptly added "But from Him you are," teaching that nobility has been conferred. And he also showed the manner of generation when he said "in Christ Jesus." For you have not been named after this person or that, but you have been deemed worthy of regeneration in Christ. "That, as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" He who rejoices that he possesses some spiritual and salvific good should not attribute it to himself but should acknowledge it entirely as received from the grace of Christ, who has been made all things for us. The passage in Jeremiah reads thus: "Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor let the strong man boast in his strength, nor let the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this: that he understands and knows me, that I am He who practices mercy and judgment and righteousness in the earth."
MORAL COMMENTARY
1 Cor 1:26-28. "For see your calling, brothers, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, not many noble," etc. He willed that not only the teachers should be unlearned and inexperienced, but also that the first disciples for the most part should be such. Hence His wisdom and power shine forth more clearly, both because He persuaded many and because He persuaded the unlearned. For it is most difficult to persuade an unlearned person when dealing with necessary and great matters; yet they persuaded, and He calls them as witnesses of this very thing: "See," he says, "your calling." For the fact that the unlearned received dogmas so wise and wiser than all things is testimony to the Teacher's supreme wisdom. The unlearned and inexperienced were more easily persuaded concerning the dogmas of Christian Religion because they were more humble. For those are foolish according to God's judgment—however wise they may seem in the judgment of carnal men like themselves—who wish to prove by arguments what can be known with certainty by faith alone. For just as when a coppersmith pulls glowing iron from the furnace, if he should attempt to do it with his hand, we would condemn him of extreme madness; so also the philosophers who have striven to discover mysteries and dogmas most remote from reason's grasp by reason as their guide have brought faith into disgrace. "Not many powerful, not many noble"—for these too are full of pride. But there is no greater obstacle to perfect and accurate knowledge of God than arrogance and desire for riches. For they cause the noble, powerful, and rich, captured by admiration and love of present things, to despise or neglect future things and to shut their ears to truth because of the multitude of cares. "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, and [chose] what is despised and things that are not, to destroy what is, that no flesh might boast in His sight." For God does all things for this purpose: that we should impute nothing to ourselves, that we should ascribe all things to God, and that He might show that all need heavenly wisdom. Moreover, He has established that we need His help not only in knowledge but in all other things as well, for this reason: that they might have the greatest occasion both for submission and for conjunction and intimacy with Him. Therefore He did not so dismiss them that they might be sufficient. For if even now, when they need [help], many despise, how much more contempt and disdain would have come if this were not so! Wherefore He removed from them the occasion of boasting, not envying them but drawing them away from the destruction that proceeds from it. This is our happiness: to have absolutely nothing that is not acknowledged as received from God. "That no flesh [might boast] in His sight."
"God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise," etc. For if Christ had first chosen an orator, the orator would say, "I was chosen by merit of my eloquence." If He had chosen a senator, the senator would say, "I was chosen by merit of my dignity." Finally, if He had first chosen an emperor, the emperor would say, "I was chosen by merit of my power." Let these be quiet and deferred for a little while; let them be quiet, not omitted, not despised, but deferred somewhat—those who can boast of themselves. "Give me," he says, "that fisherman, give me the uneducated man, give me the ignorant one, give me him with whom the senator does not deign to speak, nor even [to address] when he buys fish—give me this one, and if I fill him, it will be manifest that I am doing it. Although I am also going to make the senator and the orator and the emperor Christians, yet I [do so] more certainly with the fisherman. The senator can boast of himself, the emperor can, but the fisherman cannot except in Christ. Let him come first for the sake of teaching salutary humility; let the fisherman come first; through him the emperor is better led. It is better that when the emperor comes to Rome, having laid aside his diadem, he should weep at the memorial of the fisherman, than that the fisherman should weep at the memorial of the emperor." "That no flesh might boast in His sight." See how He took away glory to give glory; He took away ours to give His own; He took away the vain to give the full; He took away the wavering to give the solid. How much stronger and firmer, therefore, is our glory, because it is in God!
1 Cor 1:30-31. "But from Him you are in Christ Jesus, who was made for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that, as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" God willed that we should not attribute our salvation to our own strength, talent, industry, and works, but that we should seek it outside ourselves in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore go out from ourselves, renouncing the erratic light of our own sense and judgment, our false righteousness, our sins, and all the corruption of our heart, so that Christ Jesus may be for us wisdom by the divine light of His word, that He may be for us righteousness by the merits of His sacrifice, sanctification by the virtue and holiness of His glorious life, redemption and perfect liberty by the all-powerful power of His Spirit and grace. "That, as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.'" Thus we owe all things to Jesus Christ our Lord, so that this very thing is His grace's greatest gift: that we boast only in Him concerning all His gifts. Let no one boast of his own righteousness, even if he is righteous. For to one boasting of his own righteousness it has been said, "What do you have that you did not receive?" Therefore, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." For what is more secure than to boast in Him of whom no one can at all be ashamed? For if you have boasted in a man, something can be found in man—indeed, many things can be found in man—about which one who boasts in him may be ashamed. But when you hear that one should not boast in man, certainly not even in yourself. If you boast in yourself, you boast in a man, and this is more foolish and execrable. Because if you have boasted in some righteous man or other wise person, he does not boast in himself in whom you boast; but you, if you boast in yourself, are not wise, not righteous. But if one ought not to boast in a wise man, much less ought one to boast in a fool. But whoever boasts in himself boasts in a fool. For by this very fact he is convicted of being a fool, because he boasts in himself. Therefore, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord"—nothing more safe, nothing more secure. If you can, you have what you may grasp; having boasted in the Lord, you will not be ashamed. For nothing blameworthy can be found in Him in whom you boast. If you belong to the New Testament, acknowledge God's righteousness and do not wish to establish your own. If you have any righteousness, if you live well, if you do God's precepts, do not think it your own—for this is to wish to establish one's own righteousness. Acknowledge from whom you have received, and you have what you have received. For you do not have what you have not received. If indeed you have received, why do you boast as if you had not received? For when you boast as if you had not received, you boast in yourself, and where is "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord"? Hold the gift, but acknowledge the Giver.
CONTINUE
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