2 Cor 11:18, 21-30 / Matthew 6:19-23
Whenever we hear others talking about their difficulties and struggles, and even their sufferings, we would surely empathise with them.
At the same time, we also want to share our own "sob" story. After all who doesn't have a story of difficulties, struggles and sufferings to tell and share?
In the 1st reading, it seems that St. Paul was telling his own "sob" story about the difficulties he faced, the struggles he had to deal with, and the sufferings he had to endure.
But he was certainly not just giving a "sob" story to elicit sympathy or to impress others about the hardships that he was going through.
He had to tell about what he was going through because there were some preachers of a corrupted teaching who were boasting about their achievements in order to impress their listeners.
So St. Paul wanted to counter these false preachers, but not with a list of his achievements, but about his feebleness in the face of struggles, hardships and sufferings.
But over and above all that is his daily preoccupation and anxiety for the churches, and that he accepts all his hardships and sufferings for the good of the churches.
St. Paul's preoccupation and anxiety for the churches, as well as his hardships and sufferings, may be a bit too overwhelming for us.
Yet, we too need to ask ourselves what are we preoccupied and anxious about.
Jesus tells us not to store up treasures for ourselves on earth, but to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven.
Let that be our preoccupation and anxiety. For where our treasure is, there will our hearts be.