Paul in Corinth (I)

Athens was too big a pie for Paul. Its cultural root was too deep-seated for Paul to gain a foothold there in a short time. It was very much like sowing seeds among thorns (Mark 4:7). I think the same reality confronts any missionary to China. China is a futile ground but she has her deep-seated culture as well. She too is a hard nut to crack. May God have mercy on China. Corinth had a better chance. It was destroyed in 146 B.C. and refounded by Julius Caesar in 44 B.C. By the time Paul visited Corinth, it had a mixed population of Romans, Greeks and Jews. The former two were polytheists. There were a lot of gods in their myths. Jews were monotheists. Their presence had already prepare the ground for the reception of Christianity.
Paul left Athens and arrived at Corinth. There, he met Aquila and Priscilla.
and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them, and they worked, for by trade they were tentmakers.
And he argued in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks (Acts 18:3-4).
Paul earned his own living as a tentmaker. He was proud of himself for not laying any burden on his fellow brethren. I am sure his occupation would not be an obstacle to his spiritual life. He would pray at regular hours and attend services in the synagogues on Sabbath. Since he no longer had the luxury to study the Torah as he did as a disciple of Gamaliel, where and how could Paul sustain his knowledge of the Scripture? In his epistles and probably in his speeches, he was able to quote extensively from the Hebrew Scripture. It would be rather impossible for him to possess any scroll and study them at leisure. Did he quote from memory? With the easy availability of the Bible, it is truly a shame for Christians not to study their Bible daily.
Unlike Buddhism or Taoism, in which a practitioner can achieve enlightenment all by himself in a solitary manner, Christianity is a community spirituality. Believers meet and edify each other. Their glow reinforce each other. Thus, Paul sought partners at the earliest opportunity. When he knew of Aquila and Priscilla, he went and stayed with them. Together, they supported each other and preached the gospel of Jesus together. A Catholic school is a perfect environment for Catholic teachers to pray, study the Bible and work together to spread the gospel. Somehow, our teaching load is an obstacle to our spiritual life as well as evangelical life. More should be done to cater for the spiritual needs of Catholic teachers. Otherwise, our spiritual life would wither and our faith would be very dull.
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with preaching, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus (Acts 18:5).
Moreover, Paul was joined by Titius Justus, a worshiper of God (Acts 18:7) and Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue (Acts 18:8). Together the seven of them worked in Corinth to build up a very lively church. Of course, this Corinthian Church would not be free of problems. But their attempts to deal with them have left us a treasure chest, a repository of Christian wisdom.

Dear Lord, help us build up a team to evangelize Your saving grace to our students. Amen.