GRACE, MERCY AND STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS

 

When I am weak, He becomes stronger – His dependence becomes stronger. The readings of today are an answer for our weaknesses. St. Paul was an extraordinary and outstanding man with his knowledge, intelligence, discipline and faithfulness toward Judaism. His conversion to Christianity was also not simple. It was Jesus Himself who appeared to Paul in post-ascension period. The life of Paul in Judaism as Saul and beginning of his Christian life in post-ascension period were marked with astonishing and amazing events. In Judaism St. Paul was too elevated with his knowledge, talent, zeal and capacity. With all these fervor he wanted to kill Christians. His life in Christianity was also filled with same intelligence, knowledge, talent, zeal and capacity, but He did not feel elevated. His suffering, imprisonment and humiliation for the proclamation of Jesus tone downed his feeling of being privileged. In his prayer to remove the afflictions so as to spread the word of God hastily, he was answered that it was because of these afflictions that he was faithful and disciplined. St. Paul had felt that all these afflictions served as tool to make him humble and be in reliance on God’s help. Weakness are not absence of something that one ought to have, they are places for the grace of God. The vacuum created in one by the idea of weaknesses is place for grace of God to fill with. St. Paul saw in his weakness the strength that God was giving Him.

In the Gospel, Jesus meets with contempt from his home town people. Jesus left His divine prerogatives to incarnate as human being. Now even as human being he could not receive the warmth and kindness that one expects from His fellow family, relations and country cousins. For the people of Nazareth, Jesus was just another ordinary person. That is fine. But He exhibits extraordinary powers which differentiate Him from rest of them. For this Jesus should have received attraction and must have made the residents of Nazareth feel proud for having such a great prophet as their country cousin. On the contrary, they doubt His extraordinary power. To note here, there is no direct confrontation with Jesus about His power as Pharisees would do later in Jerusalem. It is gossip that makes Jesus feel rejected. They discuss among themselves about His human origin and relationship. Pope Francis says that it is gossip that hinders person’s growth and stumble the other from acting. Here Jesus is stumbled to act, the people failed to learn truths about Jesus – had they enquired Mother Mary about His mysterious birth… things must have turned to be different. Any doubt and unaccepted things should be confronted with the person concern. On the contrary, any gossip to bracket a person and lessen his extraordinary performance would effect in hatred.

Ezekiel is a great prophet but his mission was toward rebellious people who would discard his message and ill treat him. A person of extraordinary character would always meet with contempt as they would be occasions to feel stumbled and weakened. During those occasions seeking God’s protection and help is the right thing. Ezekiel, St. Paul and Jesus spent their time in solitude, in prayer to gain strength. In our life we face both the situations; we either stumble with our weaknesses or engage in secret talks (gossip) to rebuke the good in the other. The readings of today invite us to seek God’s grace, mercy and strength in our weakness and shun gossiping about other person and welcome the other as s/he is. 

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