First Reading

Brothers and sisters:

If only you would put up with a little foolishness from me!

Please put up with me.

For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God,

since I betrothed you to one husband

to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning,

your thoughts may be corrupted

from a sincere and pure commitment to Christ.

For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached,

or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received

or a different gospel from the one you accepted,

you put up with it well enough.

For I think that I am not in any way inferior to these ""superapostles.""

Even if I am untrained in speaking, I am not so in knowledge;

in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

Did I make a mistake when I humbled myself so that you might be exalted,

because I preached the Gospel of God to you without charge?

I plundered other churches by accepting from them

in order to minister to you.

And when I was with you and in need, I did not burden anyone,

for the brothers who came from Macedonia

supplied my needs.

So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way.

By the truth of Christ in me,

this boast of mine shall not be silenced

in the regions of Achaia.

And why? Because I do not love you?

God knows I do!