1. Context

1.1 Our text today is a very rich material for discussion and meditation. There are many possible angles that come out of it.  For today’s meditation, I would like to discuss two of these many possibilities.

 1.2 First, let me discuss it as it affects organization and second, as it affects our fortitude (character).

 2. Organizational Perspective

2.1 As I was preparing for this meditation, I read a sermon of Dr. Mickey Anders which talked about Asperger's Syndrome, a strain of autism.  Unlike the typical autistic child, these children can communicate; in fact, they communicate quite impressively (Dr. Mickey Anders, 2001)

o   Children with this type of autism can talk about fancy things. But these same precocious boys and girls are like other autistic children in that they have very minimal social skills.

o   They may know the names of all the passengers on the Titanic, the capitals of Brazil, or the birthdays of every member of Congress, but they can't read the facial expressions of the person sitting next to them.  They may spend all their time quietly in their rooms studying college level mathematics, but they have no friends.  Sometimes people call them "little professors," but they are social misfits suffering from intense isolation (Anders).

 o   They fail to see themselves as part of a whole community.

 o   This reminds me of one of the greatest mathematicians alive, probably the greatest because he has been acknowledged to have produced more theories that any other mathematician. He is the subject of a book with a title “The Man Who Only Knew Numbers.” He could spend hours talking about math. He has the energy to spend many days writing and formulating a theory. But he never has the time and the energy to take care of himself – choose his clothes, take a bath, brush his teeth. Like these autistic children, he was detached from the rest of the world.

2.2 That was the situation in Corinth, which Paul addressed in our text for today. Corinth was the center of government, commerce, sports, wealth, and sin.  As such, it was populated by many talented individuals.

2.3 Paul carried the gospel to this city. Within eighteen months, he had formed an exciting community of converts.  Five years later, he wrote them this letter.  He had to write to them because he was upset with them.  He had received reports that cliques and factions were tearing these new Christians apart.

2.4 It is not uncommon to find divisions and intrigues in an organization with many talented individuals.

• Our premiere management institution, the AIM, is presently suffering from conflict and division. I have talked to many faculty members in that institution and they say that the situation today is very bad. They teach human resource management, organizational development, efficiency and effectiveness. Outside the classroom however, they are divided.

 

• At one time, ABS CBN was the leading TV network. I had the chance to observe their operations up close. The environment was very competitive. Employees were very talented, probably the best. But they were divided. They were jealous of each other’s success. Each one needed an affirmation, usually financial. When GMA decided to compete with ABS-CBN, those talents were not prepared to deal with the challenge.

 

• I just attended a conference where one of the speakers is Dr. Paul Dumol, Vice President for Academic Affairs of UAP. He presented his theory that the Philippines is not yet a nation, rather, we are a nation in progress. He presented some historical facts that supported his theory.

 

• For one, he says that we still lack a sense of community.

3.  Character Building

 3.1 I went to Dagupan City, the Bangus Capital of the World, the other day. On the way back, we stopped by a big open air restaurant in Gerona, Tarlac for dinner. I found out that it was part of the Barrio Fiesta chain.

• It’s a very interesting restaurant. It is made up of separate cottages seated on a man made fish pen. You can see live fish all around.  There are some floating cottages similar to the ones you can see in Pangsanjan.

 

• What is most interesting about this restaurant is a stage-like area where you see broken ceramics and appliances neatly piled near the wall and separated from the rest of the restaurant by a two-foot fence. The area inside is about 20 square meters.

 

• On the wall, you can easily read from a distance, painted in red with big borders, are things that you normally hate or used to love – like gambling, ex-wife, drinking, your boss, and so on.

 

• You are invited to hit these hate objects. For P15, you get a nice cup which you can use to hit your hate object. For P1,300, you get an old TV. You can use this to hit your hate object until this TV is pulverized.

 

• It is meant to be a release, or a form of revenge on someone or something you hate or detest. Perhaps, it is meant to sell the restaurant. Perhaps, it is also meant to provide the restaurant clients a form of psychological pay back.

 

• I did not try it, so I do not know if it works. It there were names and pictures of politicians or corrupt officials in government and private companies on the wall, I would have tried it.

 3.2 That synthetic method of releasing anger is much better than what other people resort to when they get frustrated or when they fail. Remember the case of the Urban Bank president. The bank that he organized was put under receivership. He was investigated for fraud and deception.

• That must have been traumatic for this young, talented banker who was considered one of the top bankers in the country. While still under investigation, he decided to release his anger and end it all by ending his life, leaving his family, friends and business colleagues.

 

• Another successful and prominent businessman got so bored of success. He solved this boredom by joining a cult and become of the leaders of this cult. He became very popular again when he ran for President.

 

• Some people who failed or got bored with success just withdrew from active life and retreated to a mountain or secluded place while others, who could not anymore bear the thought of having made so much money try to compensate by organizing a foundation that provides scholarship or school buildings with their names painted on a prominent spot.

3.3 We all know that investing in a business is a big risk. The success ratio is very low. The statistics indicate that about a 95% retirement rate – 95% of those who register fail. But investing is one form of ensuring long-term financial stability. Those who succeed have a better chance of a good life for the family. Moreover, they are liberated from the stress of a corporate life where they have to work eight hours each day under an autocratic or ineffective boss.

• To deal with the low success ratio, business people resort to many things. The Chinese have many methods of dealing with this. One, they use fung shui to check if your office – the way that the furniture is arranged, the position of the door, color of the wall, etc. -- is anti or pro success.

 

• I have a friend who put the statue of budha near the door to invite luck or drive away bad luck. Others put money trees, portable fountain, Sto Nino and many others. We look at many icons to help us succeed.

 

• What do you use to drive away bad luck?

4. Paul’s Response

4.1 Our text today show’s us one powerful way -- perhaps the only way -- of facing failure, anger and uncertainty.

4.2 For Paul the response should be love. For Paul, love is what draws us together into the body of Christ. It doesn't just come to us--no, it shapes us, it claims us, it molds us into something new . . . something great. No wonder, then, Paul finds himself saying that love found in Jesus Christ indeed is the greatest of all.

4.3 look at the Corinthian church. It would seem that little has changed since their time. Paul explained to them the two types of enemies that love faces. First there is the enemy of ourselves.

o   It's the voice which hears Paul say "Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many" and yet something within us says "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body."

o   I'm not good enough to be part of the body, you see. I'm not good enough to participate. Maybe someone else would be better off doing that than me. It's almost a respectable kind of self-defiance for many people.

o   Paul doesn't think so, though, because he responds to the statement "I'm not good enough" by saying "If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?"

 

(Love Lifted Me) I was sinking deep in sin

Far from the peaceful shore

Very deeply stained within,

Sinking to rise no more.

But the Master of the sea

heard my despairing cry,

From the waters lifted me,

Now safe am I.

(chorus) Love lifted me, Love lifted me

When nothing else could help

Love lifted me

Love lifted me, Love lifted me

When nothing else could help

Love . . . lift-ed me.