We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 1 Corinthians 4:10
“Out of gratitude and love for Him, we should desire to be reckoned fools and glory in wearing His livery.”
Ignatius of Loyola in his Constitutions as recounted by Jean-Joseph Surin in Perfect Fools, ed. by John Saward (Oxford: OUP, 1980) 141.
Through church history, those who celebrate the resurrection have been reckoned as fools. We get to join those ranks in life after Easter. And I particularly like what Ignatius adds to this idea. He says to “glory in wearing His livery.”
But what does this mean? Our gratitude and love motivate us to wear His name and proverbial uniform. It basically means that because of gratitude for His work on the cross for us we will bear his name and any public shame that goes with it.
The Corinthians, it seems, had conformed to the culture instead of Christ. They wanted to look good for the world. Let’s not fall into that trap. Instead, let your love and gratitude drive you to live differently and radically generously.