2 Corinthians

So, I canceled a visit that would have been upsetting again.

If I make you sad, who will make me happy, if not you whom I have grieved?

Remember what I wrote to you, ‘May it be that when I come, I do not feel sad because of you, who should rather make me happy.’ I trust everyone, and I am sure that my joy will be your joy as well.

So afflicted and worried was I when I wrote to you that I even shed tears. I did not intend to cause you pain, but rather to let you know of the immense love that I have for you.

Forgiveness for the Offender

If anyone has caused me pain, he has hurt not me, but in some measure, (I do not wish to exaggerate) all of you.

The punishment that he received from the majority is enough for him.

Now you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest excessive sorrow discourage him.

So I beg you to treat him with love.

This is why I wrote to you: to test you and see if you would obey in everything.

The one you forgive, I also forgive. And what I forgave, if I had anything to forgive, I did so for your benefit in the presence of Christ,

lest Satan takes advantage of us, because we are aware of his schemes.

So I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, and the Lord opened doors for me.

However, I couldn’t find my brother Titus there, so I wasn’t at peace. I took my leave and headed to Macedonia.

Prisoner of Christ’s Triumph

Thanks be to God, who always guides us in the victorious walk of Christ and, through us, spreads the knowledge of him everywhere like a fragrance.

We are Christ’s fragrance rising up to God and perceived by both those who are saved and those who are lost.

To some, it smells like death and brings them to death. To others, it is the fragrance of life and leads them to life.

But who is deserving of such a mission? Unlike many who profit from the word of God, we speak sincerely: everything comes from God and is spoken in his presence through Christ.