We’ve all heard the expression, “He’s a real thorn in my
side.” Interestingly, the expression has
its roots in St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. In a passage that has elicited many
(inconclusive) interpretations, St. Paul says that a thorn in the flesh was given to me. Whatever this thorn might have been, literally or figuratively, we know that it
was a perpetual reminder to Paul of the constant place of the cross in the
Christian life.
Paul had a lot going for him; the danger was that he might
let his own ego get in the way, that he might think the message was about
himself, rather than about God. And so
Paul holds fast to his difficulties, whatever they may be, so that the power of
God’s grace might be sufficient for him.
Power made perfect in weakness is the fundamental Christian
paradox: our power is found at our point
of greatest weakness, since it’s at that moment that we know we need God. To accept the cross is to allow God’s love to
touch us; rather than relying only on ourselves, we need to eschew arrogance
and embrace vulnerability, allowing ourselves to become defenseless, so that we
might find our true strength in God.
Prophets like Jesus and Ezekiel before him (see this
Sunday’s readings) bring a message that many don’t want to hear. No one wants to believe Ezekiel’s prophecy that Jerusalem will be destroyed, just as the people of Nazareth, Jesus’ native place, are unwilling to be open
to who Jesus truly is – they think they have all the answers already. Our own journey is about letting go of our arrogance so that we might go to our weakness, so that we might experience our
need for others and allow them (and God)
into our weakness as well.
(This reflection is based on notes from Fr. Pat's Thursday night Scripture class.)
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