Year: 2024

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2 Corinthians 12: 7-10

Brothers and sisters:
That I, Paul, might not become too elated,
because of the abundance of the revelations,
a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan,
to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. 
Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,
but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness.” 
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. 
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults,
hardships, persecutions, and constraints,
for the sake of Christ;
for when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Word of the Lord.

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Have you ever walked around with a splinter in your foot?

It’s amazing how a tiny shard of glass or a sliver of wood can cause such pain. 

I used to get splinters all the time as a boy, especially while running around barefoot on my grandfather’s dock. The second I felt a splinter pierce my toe or heel, I’d freeze in shock, then hop on one foot until I could find a place to sit and, whimpering, prick it out.

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This image of limping, or carrying a painful burden, is what Saint Paul is describing in our second reading. “A thorn in the flesh was given to me,” he says. “An angel of Satan to beat me!”

What sort of “thorn” is Paul referring to? Certainly, not a small shard of glass or wood. It’s something far more significant – and painful.

While Paul does not explain what exactly this “thorn” is, scholars speculate it could’ve been a variety of things.

Perhaps something physical. 

Paul might’ve walked with a limp after being beaten, shipwrecked, stoned, imprisoned, and left for dead more than once. By the end of his ministry, his body took a greater toll than many professional athletes!

Others wonder if this “thorn” was something spiritual – a temptation that never relented.

The most likely explanation is the “thorn” of unbelief. In the Old Testament, a “thorn” served as a metaphor for God’s enemies – not only those nations who attacked Israel, but also, and more personally, any Jew who did not have faith.

That is, after all, what Satan wants to destroy: our faith in God.

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Unbelief would’ve been the most painful “thorn” to press into Paul’s side. In fact, on several occasions, he makes reference to “false preachers,” who infiltrated some of the earliest Christian communities, which he founded, preaching a message different from his.

They were like an “angel of Satan,” he says, misleading often fragile believers, twisting Paul’s words, stifling the effectiveness of his ministry.

That’s the deepest pain any minister can experience – watching someone attack your flock, threatening their faith, diminishing God’s kingdom. 

“Three times I begged the Lord about this,” Paul says, “that it might leave me. But the Lord said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’”

That’s a hard pill to swallow.

Not all prayers are answered in the affirmative. Not even the prayers of the great saints like Paul. He prayed – not once, not twice, but three times – to be relieved of this “thorn,” but God did not take it from him.

Nor does God take every “thorn” from us, which is why Paul is writing this second letter to the Corinthians – to teach them, and us, a lesson in faith.

Although God listens to our prayers, sometimes he says to us what he said to Paul, “divine power is made perfect in human weakness.”

This is very heart of Pauline theology. The Christian life is not without suffering; rather, we must learn how to lean into God’s strength while we are weak.

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Is there a “thorn” in your side – a person, an experience, or an illness that doesn’t seem to go away? 

Has that thorn led you closer to or further from the Lord?

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Often, we can blame God for these “thorns” – or, at least, for not removing them from us. But Paul invites us into a different perspective. Do not blame God for evil; rather, seek his strength in order to endure it. 

“I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,” he says, “in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

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This does not solve the mystery of evil – why we must walk around with a thorn in our side, or a splinter in our foot. But Paul assures us that we shall never be overcome.

May he intercede on our behalf, that like him, we would continue to, “run the race of life to the finish – thorns and all – and keep the faith.” 

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Image credits: (1) A-Z Quotes (2) Voice in the City (3) Pinterest

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Gospel: Matthew 9: 9-13

As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jews hated tax collectors, who were often viewed as thieves, extorting exuberant amounts of money from citizens, even the poor. 

The Jews had only one king – God – so paying taxes to the Romans was a type of infringement on God’s right as their sovereign king.

In fact, in Jewish law, tax collectors were forbidden from entering the synagogue; they were thrown into the same ritual lot as unclean animals, robbers, and murderers. 

In a word, they were thought of as, scum.

Yet it’s the tax collector, Matthew, whom Jesus calls in today’s Gospel, revealing the Lord’s ability to see deep into the human heart, weighing not only what a person is, but also what they can become.

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For the next three years, Matthew will learn how to leave himself and his desires behind in order to follow Jesus. After the resurrection, he will set East to share the Gospel to the far edges of the known world – as far as Ethiopia, where traditionally he was martyred.

Matthew became an Apostle, a significant leader in the early Church, leaving behind his written testimony to Christ, who changed the world.

Each of us has been affected by Matthew’s Gospel.

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He teaches us that following Christ can involve leaving worldly comforts in exchange for adventure.

Following Christ will make us shed our ego, putting on a new self.

Following Christ leads to a future yet to be written, paved not by human ingenuity or calculation, but step by step in faith.

When the Lord looks at us, he sees not only who we are, but also who we can become. “Will you leave yourself behind,” he asks, “and follow me?”

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Image credits: (1) The Calling of Saint Matthew, Caravaggio (2) Ibid. (3) Follow Me, Whitehall Church of Christ

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Gospel: Matthew 9: 1-8

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
“This man is blaspheming.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
“Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he then said to the paralytic,
“Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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“Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”

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I often use this Gospel passage while celebrating the Sacrament of Anointing as both a comfort and a challenge. 

It’s a comforting passage because there is a man who’s paralyzed. His friends place him at the feet of Jesus, trusting that Christ can heal him. And seeing their faith, the Lord says to the paralytic, “Rise.” Suddenly, the man stands up, takes his stretcher, and walks home.

I’ve witnessed stories just like this in my priestly ministry. 

People have suffered from cancer, double pneumonia, brain damage, or some other affliction. After being anointed, they were completely healed! It has happened nearly a dozen times in the last few years. 

Such stories of healing are reminders that Christ is present in the Sacraments. That’s undeniably a comfort.

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But this Gospel passage also presents a challenge. 

As human beings, it’s easy for us to focus on that which is physical. If a person is sick, then we want their body restored to health!

But notice what the Lord says to this paralytic in the Gospel first. Before he is healed physically, the Lord looks upon the man and says, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”

To call this man a “child” means that he’s been welcomed into God’s family, an invitation that comes after his sins have been forgiven. This is what matters most in the mind of God – not the healing of this man’s paralysis, but the state of his soul. 

While his body was healed for a few years, his soul was healed forever.

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So, it is with us.

Often, we seek the Lord’s healing power. While it can be granted, this Gospel passage reminds us to “seek first what is above,” being concerned most about our identity as children of God who will live with him forever.

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Image credits: (1) Buckner International (2) Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man Tapestry, Aaron Spong (3) Access Church, Lakeland