July 7: Strength in Weakness

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is Paul serious? Can you imagine being content with “weaknesses, insults, hardships, and persecutions?” (2Cor 12:10) Paul never specifies what that “thorn in the flesh” was. I used to think it referred to a physical weakness, or disability. But some of the commentaries I’ve read say that it was a person who opposed Paul (think of a “thorn in my side.”) That opponent may have been a Christian who Paul did not want to mention by name.

Paul could have been proud of all that God revealed to him, and of all that he accomplished in spreading the gospel. He sees that “thorn” as God’s way of keeping him humble. So instead he boasts about his weaknesses. He knows that all the good work he has done have been accomplished by Christ. So he accepted suffering, rejection, setbacks and persecution because they helped him see how much Christ was doing through him.

We can learn a lot from St. Paul. Remember how Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself. Paul loved himself in the good sense of accepting his faults and weaknesses. He was always aware that he once persecuted Christians. But that fault enabled him to experience God’s forgiveness. I usually try to avoid doing things that show my weaknesses. That means I might miss a chance to see how God can help. Suppose you don’t know how to swim, so you stay out of swimming pools. Of course, then you could never learn to swim. But if you get in the water and let someone teach you, you might just find yourself liking the water.

St. Paul says that when he is weak, then he is strong. He knows that God will still work through him, showing God’s power to heal the sick and draw converts to Christ, in spite of Paul’s weaknesses. Paul did what he could to encourage others to follow Jesus, but he knew the results of his preaching and healing were up to God. When you think that you would fail at spreading the faith, remember Paul and give your weaknesses to God. Then see what he can do!

Tom Schmidt