hello I'm Jeff Cavins and today we're
looking at the readings for the 14th
Sunday in ordinary time have you ever
felt weak have you ever felt like you
didn't have enough to really get the job
done
and you contrast that with having some
great revelations and insight into who
God is
that's quite a battle that goes on in
your heart and the Apostle Paul finds
himself in that situation and today's
second readings second Corinthians
chapter 12 you know Paul was a super
apostle along with st. Peter and he
received all kinds of wonderful
revelations from God
we can thank the Apostle Paul for much
of what we know about the Lord in the
body of Christ and how to get along with
each other in the power of the Holy
Spirit and also also the fruitfulness of
suffering in 2nd Corinthians Paul brings
out that he has received incredible
revelations from God in verse 7 of
chapter 12 it says and to keep me from
being too elated by the abundance of
revelations a thorn was given me in the
flesh a messenger of Satan to harass me
to keep me from being too elated now is
that your situation you have so many
revelations from God that that there's a
tendency to baby even get puffed up most
of us would say no that's not really the
case but Paul had so many wonderful
revelations but he also at the same time
of of having a great understanding and a
joy about the revelation of Jesus Christ
in relationship to the Old Testament he
also had this nagging problem in his
life and he he talks about it as as a
thorn in the side something that's just
bothering him repeatedly and he says I
begged the Lord to take it away not once
not twice but three times I asked the
Lord to take it away and you know what
the Lord said to Paul he said Paul my
grace is sufficient for you my grace is
sufficient for you for my power is made
perfect in weakness I think that that's
really an interesting interesting
contrast there where Paul says I've got
these great revelations
problems in life - have you ever felt
like that having great revelations and
truths about scripture truths about the
Catechism at the same time there's life
to live and you feel weak can you feel
tired especially with family and perhaps
work and you go to the Lord and say Lord
it would be so great if I could just
have the revelations and none of these
problems in my life but the Lord would
say to you the same thing that he said
to Paul and that is my grace is
sufficient for you what's grace well
grace is the life of the Trinity the
life of the Trinity is sufficient and
they says I will all the more gladly
boast of my weaknesses that the power of
Christ may rest upon me and then he says
something really important and this is
important to get for you particularly if
you feel like this you feel weak you
know and you feel like I could really
fly if these these problems in daily
living would just go away
he says for the sake of Christ then I am
content with weaknesses insults
hardships persecutions and calamities
for when I am weak then I am strong
two things one Paul says I have learned
to be content I am content with all of
this happening around me why he has
discovered a secret and that is this and
that is that when he is weak that is
when Christ becomes strong in him and
you know what's really interesting about
this we're talking about family so much
is that this is coupled with mark
chapter 6 where Jesus is rejected by
family and friends in Nazareth
you ever felt like that you ever felt
down like that and weak like that well
both Jesus and Paul triumphed from that
perspective they triumph from that
situation and I want to encourage you
today that if you feel weak and you feel
like all the problems of life are
keeping you from really living according
to the revelations that you know about
give him your weakness he will become
strong in the midst of your weakness
[Music]