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From: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Servant of Christ

[1] This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and
stewards of the mysteries of God. [2] Moreover it is required of
stewards that they be found trustworthy. [3] But with me it is a very
small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. I do
not even judge myself. [4] I am not aware of anything against myself,
but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. [5]
Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord
comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and
will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive
his commendation from God.

Commentary:

1-2. The features of every apostle, as outlined here by St Paul--
"servants of Christ", "stewards of God's mysteries"--put this ministry
beyond the reach of grudges and petty squabbles. "Servants of Christ",
that is, ministers of Christ, are people to whom he has entrusted his
property--his teaching and his sacraments--for them to protect it
faithfully and, acting as his agents, to manage it, pass it on and
"disperse" it to others (cf. "Commentary on 1 Cor, ad loc."). As Paul
stresses, a basic qualification for being a servant or steward is
trustworthiness: "Those are untrustworthy stewards who when it comes to
dispensing the divine mysteries do not seek the welfare of the people,
the honor of Christ or the advantage of his members [...]. Trustworthy
stewards are those who always seek the honor of God and the welfare of
his members" ("ibid., ad loc.").

The Magisterium of the Church has often applied these words to the
Christian priesthood: "The Apostle of the Gentiles thus perfectly sums
up what may be said of the greatness, the dignity and the duty of the
Christian priesthood: 'This is how one should regard us, as servants of
Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God' (1 Cor 4:1). The priest is
the minister of Christ, an instrument, that is to say, in the hands of
the divine Redeemer. He continues the work of the redemption in all its
universality and divine efficacy, that work that wrought so marvelous a
transformation in the world. Thus the priest, as is said with good
reason, is indeed 'another Christ', for, in some way, he is himself a
continuation of Christ: 'As the Father has sent me, even so I send you'
(Jn 20:21), is spoken to the priest, and hence the priest, like Christ,
continues to give 'glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace
among men with whom he is pleased' (Lk 2:14). A priest is appointed
'steward of the mysteries of God' (cf. 1 Cor 4:1 ) for the benefit of
the members of the mystical body of Christ, since he is the ordinary
minister of nearly all the sacraments--those channels through which the
grace of the Savior flows for the good of humanity. The Christian, at
almost every important stage of his mortal career, finds at his side
the priest with power received from God, for the purpose of
communicating or increasing that grace which is the supernatural life
of his soul" (Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii").

3-5. A servant, an employee, is obviously answerable for his actions--
but he is answerable only to his master; only his master can judge
him. Therefore, referring to the minister of Christ, St Paul declares
that only our Lord can be his judge, because it is to him his service
is owed. This teaching applies in the first place to Church ministers;
but it also applies to all the faithful, for all should serve God by
putting their talents to good use. Therefore, it is not for us to judge
others, unless we have some special position which obliges us to do so.
And certainly any judgment we do make is valid only if it accords with
the will of God; any type of rash judgment would lead to very
unfortunate results. Even that judgment we make about
ourselves--examination of conscience, which St Paul seems to be hinting
at when he says that he is not aware of anything against himself--
should be made with the help of grace. It is not a matter of subjective
introspection, but rather a sincere review made in the presence of
God. It is not meant to be a reply to the question, What do I think of
my behavior?; but rather to a different question, What does God think
of it? Thus, a Christian should not be trying to meticulously measure
his conduct, but to have recourse to God, who is rich in mercy. If so,
the end-product of his examination will never be like that of the
Pharisee, "God, I thank thee that I am not like other men", but
instead, like the publican's "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Lk
18:11, 13).

The Apostle, as we can see, is speaking of his own experience, and
speaking from a heart full of pastoral solicitude: he is not merely
giving advice or taking people to task.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Luke 5:33-39

A Discussion on Fasting

[33] And they (the scribes and the Pharisees) said to Him (Jesus), "The
disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples
of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink." [34] And Jesus said to
them, "Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is
with them? [35] The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away
from them, and then they will fast in those days." [36] He told them a
parable also: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon
an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from
the new will not match the old. [37] And no one puts new wine into old
wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be
spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. [38] But new wine must be put
into fresh wineskins. [39] And no one after drinking old wine desires
new; for he says, `The old is good.'"

Commentary:

33-35. In the Old Testament God established certain days as days of
fasting--the main one being the "day of atonement" (Numbers 29:7; Acts
27:9). Fasting implied total or partial abstinence from food or
drink. Moses and Elijah fasted (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8) and our
Lord Himself fasted in the desert for forty days before beginning His
public ministry. In the present passage Jesus gives a deeper meaning
to the word "fasting"--the deprivation of His physical presence which
His Apostles would experience after His death. All through His public
life Jesus is trying to prepare His disciples for the final parting.
At first the Apostles were not very robust and Christ's physical
presence did them more good than the practice of fasting.

Christians should sometimes abstain from food. "Fast and abstain from
flesh meat when Holy Mother Church so ordains" ("St. Pius X Catechism",
495). That is the purpose of the fourth commandment of the Church, but
it has a deeper meaning, as St. Leo the Great tells us: "The merit of
our fasts does not consist only in abstinence from food; there is no
use depriving the body of nourishment if the soul does not cut itself
off from iniquity and if the tongue does not cease to speak evil"
("Sermo IV in Quadragesima").