Have you ever walked with a splinter in your foot?
It’s amazing how something so small and seemingly insignificant can cause so much pain! That tiny splinter can make you walk with a terrible limp until it’s finally removed.
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This idea of walking with a limp, or carrying a painful burden, is what Saint Paul is referring to in our second reading. “A thorn in the flesh was given to me,” he says, “an angel of Satan, to beat me from becoming too elated” (2 Cor. 12:7).
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Saint Paul is in the midst of his ministry, travelling the world and building up new Christian communities.
And while he’s experiencing the incredible joy of knowing the Lord and bringing thousands of people to Jesus, he’s discovered that there are a handful of false preachers following in his footsteps, preaching a different message to these newly converted towns, causing confusion about who Jesus is.
Is he really God or just a humble carpenter from Nazareth?
This is what causes Saint Paul such pain, knowing that some of these first Christians are being misguided and losing their faith. It’s like a “thorn in his flesh,” or a splinter in his foot.
But he knows that God will not allow him to use this as a reason to give up. Rather, he must remind these communities of the Truth and then move on to other cities and preach the Good News to anyone who will listen.
It’s a lesson that he learned straight from Jesus.
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By this point in the Gospel, Jesus has already healed people with diseases, cast out demons, and even raised a 12-year old girl from the dead. And now he returns home to visit his family and friends. Yet he’s not welcomed as a “hometown hero” like we might expect.
Rather, his identity is questioned by those closest to him… “Where did this man get all this?” they say.“What kind of wisdom has been given him? … Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary?” (Mark 6:3).
Saddened by their lack of faith, Jesus experiences a painful thorn in his flesh… unbelief. More than anything else, that is what causes him anguish.
What brings him consolation, on the other hand, are those who approach him with faith, believing that he has the ability to heal, to save, to change lives. These are the ones who experience his power.
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Can’t we see something of our own story in this? Like Jesus and Paul, many of us have experienced frustrations or disappointments in life that can feel like “thorns in our flesh,” or splinters in our feet.
What are these thorns for me? What burdens me or weighs me down?
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Perhaps it’s the heaviness of finances – of making ends meet, the stress of raising a family, the anguish of losing a loved one unexpectedly, or the weight of the future – not knowing what will happen as we move into high school, college, start a new career… or even as we age.
Whatever our thorns may be, Paul reminds us that we must press on in faith, knowing that the Lord is with us. As Jesus himself says, “Come to me, all you who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
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Perhaps it’s equally as important to remember this: just as a tiny splinter can cause someone irritation, so a small act of kindness can bring someone joy.
Oftentimes we don’t know the burdens that other people are carrying. But we can brighten their day by saying a kind word, uttering a prayer, posting a positive message on Facebook, or listening to them with sincerity.
So how might we support someone else, or bring them joy this week?
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As we move ahead this Sunday morning, may we repeat together those words of Saint Paul, “Lord, your grace is enough for us.”