STRONG IN THE WEAKNESS.
July 4, 2021
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – B.
A Japanese proverb says, “You can only endure the weaknesses of others by knowing your own. Flattery is the best persuader.” And a Puerto Rican proverb adds, “Never say no due to pride, or yes due to weakness.”
We do all have our little devils surrounding our lives. In
one or another way we are all weak because we are sinners. No man can presume
of his righteousness before God. But what keeps us going, despite our sins, is
God's merciful love. We are all debtors of God's love which reaches the ends of
the earth, and debtors of his right hand always eager to save and justify. In
the abasement of his only Begotten Son, God raised our fallen humanity. He made
us strong when we were weak by rescuing us from slavery to sin.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms, “God is
infinitely good and all his works are good. Yet no one can escape the
experience of suffering or the evils in nature which seem to be linked to the
limitations proper to creatures: and above all to the question of moral evil.
Where does evil come from? "I sought whence evil comes and there was no
solution", said St. Augustine, and his own painful quest would only be
resolved by his conversion to the living God. For "the mystery of
lawlessness" is clarified only in the light of the "mystery of our
religion". The revelation of divine love in Christ manifested at the same
time the extent of evil and the superabundance of grace. We must therefore
approach the question of the origin of evil by fixing the eyes of our faith on
him who alone is its conqueror.” CCC. 385.
Last Sunday, we were brought to reflect on the origin of
evil. The answer we got was that God did not create evil and death. But then,
how can we escape suffering and death? Today's word of God helps us find the
answer. In the first reading, the Lord describes the people of Israel as a
rebellious house. He says of them, “Hard of face and obstinate of heart.”
However, he sends them his prophet whose mission will be about the warning and
inviting them to repent. Despite Israel's weakness and continual fall into
idolatry, God has not abandoned them. He shows his love for his people through
the sending of prophets.
In the second reading, we have the climax of our reflection,
the origin of our theme. St. Paul, addressing the Corinthians, tells them that
he finds his strength in his weakness, that is to say, it is when a man is
reduced at the lowest of himself, into sin, that he realizes there is greater
than him, that his life depends on other than himself. Without God's grace, we
are easily caught in the trap of arrogance and pride. We boast of any
achievement. St. Paul, as any one of us, could had have a thousand reasons to
boast about. He brought the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. He did more than
any of his pairs. He was intellectually gifted, and one could say smarter than
Peter and his companions, mere fishermen, and more qualities could be added at
the active of Paul. Nevertheless, the Lord made him feel that the best to do
was not the human pride and arrogance, but rather, humility, and he learned
that humility, in the hardest way, "a thorn in the flesh was given to me,
an angel of Satan, to beat me..." Therefore, the Apostle reaches the
conclusion, "I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order
that the power of Christ may dwell with me."
As Christians, we should reach that same conclusion of Paul
that, by ourselves, we can do nothing which does not lead to evil. It is only
through grace and mercy we are justified. When we are weak, God, by pure his
grace, raises us up and strengthens us.
In the Gospel, through the controversy of Jesus being
rejected in his own town, we learn how does God's power work. He did not spare
Jesus his Son from any kind of suffering. He experienced, like each one of us,
rejection, criticisms, misunderstandings, and all the like. His own people took
offense at him because they could not accept that the son of Mary and the
Carpenter, "the brother of James and Jose and Judas and Simon" could
stand in front of them, and preach them repentance and conversion...
"Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him?
What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands?"
People might also take offense at you, reject you, accuse
you, fight you. When these things happen, turn to the Lord and entrust your
fate into his hands. His grace is enough. Do not boast or be arrogant, rather,
learn to be more humble. For only sincere humility leads to greater glory, the
glory of the children of God. Then to finish, this Panamanian proverb, “The
strongest among the weak is the one who doesn't forget his weaknesses.” Do
never forget that you yourself are weak, boast not, humble yourself.
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