But in whatever anyone dares (to boast about)…
I am speaking in foolishness
… I too dare:
Are they Hebrews?
So am I too.
Are they Israelites?
So am I too.
Are they descendants of Abraham?
So am I too

Are they servants of Christ?
– I am speaking as a madman –
I am more:
with more works,
more imprisonments
more beatings
many times facing death.
(That is …) from the Jews
Five times I received the forty lashes less one.
Three times I was beaten with a rod.
Once I was stoned
Three times I was shipwrecked
I have spent a night and day on the open sea.

On journeys many times
in danger from rivers
in dangers from bandits
in dangers from my own people
in dangers from gentiles
in dangers in the city
in dangers in the desert
in dangers on the sea
in dangers from false brothers
in toil and hardships
with many sleepless nights
in hunger and thirst
often without food
cold and naked
not to mention other things…
the burden on me
every day
my concern for all the churches.
Who is weak – am I not weak?
Who is made to stumble – and I do not burn with anger?
If it is necessary to boast, I will boast about my weaknesses…

Teach us, good Lord,
to serve thee as thou deservest;
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

St Ignatius

Again I say
let no one consider me to be a foolish person,
but if not
at least
accept me as a fool,
so that I also may boast a little.
What I will say,
I say –
– not according to the Lord
– but as if foolishly
with this boastful confidence.
Since many boast according to the flesh
I too will boast.
For you gladly put up with fools,
– being wise.
For you,
gladly put up (with it)
if someone enslaves you,
if someone exploits you
if someone ensnares you
If someone puts on airs
if someone strikes you on the face.
To our shame, I say
that we were too weak for that!

Grant, Lord,
that we may hold to you without parting,
worship you without wearying,
serve you without failing;
faithfully seek you,
happily find you,
and forever possess you,
the only God,blessed now and for ever.
Amen

St Anselm

But what I am doing
also I will (continue to) do,
so that I may cut off the opportunity
of those who want an opportunity
that they might be found
– in what they boast about –
to be as we are.

For such are false apostles
deceitful workers
disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

And no wonder!
For Satan disguises himself
as an angel of light.

Therefore it is no great thing
if his servants also disguise themselves
as servants of righteousness.

(Their) end will be according to their works.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

Or did I ‘commit a sin’ humbling myself,
so that you might be exalted? –
because I preached the gospel of God, gratis?
I plundered other churches
taking support (from them)
for ministry to you,
and being with you,
and being in need
I was not a burden on anyone –
the brothers who came from Macedonia
supplied my needs,
and
in every way
I have kept and will keep myself
from being a burden to you.
As the truth of Christ is in me:
this boasting of mine will be not silenced
in the regions of Achaia.

Why? because I do not love you? God knows (I do).

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

I wish you to be patient with me in a little bit of foolishness,
indeed be patient with me!
For I am jealous with a jealousy (like) God’s
For I gave you in marriage to one husband-
to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
But I fear that
as the snake deceived Eve
with his cunning,
your minds may be lead astray
from a sincere and pure devotion
that is to Christ.

For if one come who preaches another Christ
whom we did not preach
or you receive another Spirit
which you had not received
or another gospel
which you had not accepted,
– you bear it well enough

For I reckon (myself)
in no way inferior
to those super apostles

So if (I am) an amateur in speaking
(I am) not in knowledge,
but in all ways
we have made that clear
in everything
to you.

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

Look at what is in front of you:
If anyone has confidence
in themselves
to be (especially) Christ’s
Let them reckon again
– For themselves, that
as they themselves are Christ’s
So also are we.

For even if I boast too much
About our authority
which the Lord gave
-For building up
-And not for your tearing down
I will not be ashamed.

I don’t want appear to frighten you
Through my letters
For on the one hand
(my) letters
– someone will say
Are weighty and strong
But on the other hand
– (my) bodily presence is weak
And (my) speech amounts to nothing.

Let such a person reckon this:
What we are in word in letters in absence
Such a person (we will be) in works, present.

Take from us,
O God, all pride and vanity,
all boasting and self-assertion,
and give us the true courage that shows itself in gentleness,
the true wisdom that shows itself in simplicity,
and the true power that shows itself in modesty.

Charles Kingsley

So I, Paul, myself, appeal to you
By the meekness and gentleness
Shown by Christ –
who ‘to your face’ is timid toward you
but when am away haughty toward you.

But I beg you

– me being present-
I may not have to act with bold confidence
By which
I may reckon
I may dare to act
upon certain people who reckon us
To be walking according to the flesh
For
In the flesh
(while) we are walking,
Not according to the flesh
are we waging war.

For the weapons of our warfare
are not of the flesh
but are powerful for God(‘s cause)
for the destruction of strongholds:
demolishing arguments
and every proud thing raised up against the knowledge of God
and taking every scheme captive
to obey Christ
and we stand ready to punish every disobedience
whenever your obedience is complete

O thou, who art the light of the minds that know thee,
the life of the souls that love thee,
and the strength of the wills that serve thee;
help us so to know thee that we may truly love thee;
so to love thee that we may fully serve thee,
whom to serve is perfect freedom.
Amen

Because the carrying out (ministry)
of this service
is not only supplying the needs
of the saints,
but also overflows
with many thanksgivings
to God.
Because of the evidence of this ministry
(people will ) glorify God
because of your obedient confession
of the gospel of Christ
and (your) generosity of the sharing
with them and with
all.
And as they pray for you
they will long for you
because of the surpassing grace of God on you.
Thanks (Grace) to God, for his indescribable gift.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

A nd this –
the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly
and the one who sows generously will also reap generously.
Each person – as they have decided in their heart,
not from reluctance or from compulsion
for God loves a cheerful giver.¹
God can make all grace abound to you
so that always in every way
having everything necessary
you may abound in every good work.
As it is written:
He scattered, he gave to the needy
his righteousness remains for ever²

Now the one who supplies
the seed to the sower
and bread for food³
will also supply and increase your (store of) seed
and enlarge the harvest from your righteousness⁴
-in every way being enriched for all generosity
which produces
through us
thanksgiving to God.

1. Proverbs 28:8a ↩︎
2. Psalm 112:9 ↩︎
3. Isaiah 55:10 ↩︎
4. Hosea 10:12 ↩︎

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art –
Thou my best thought, by day or by night;
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.