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2 Cor. 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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As a kid, I used to run around outside barefoot. My mother was constantly warning me not to because, occasionally, I’d scrape my foot on a rock or get a splinter.
You’d think I’d learn. But my stubborn nature hasn’t seemed to change.
It’s amazing how a small cut or a tiny fragment of wood can cause such pain. But every time I injured myself, I’d limp inside sulking, grateful for Mom’s attentive care.
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This image of limping – of carrying a painful burden – is what Saint Paul is describing in today’s second reading.
“A thorn in the flesh was given to me,” he says, “an angel of Satan, to beat me from becoming too elated.”
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Saint Paul is preaching the Gospel across the known world, establishing new Christian communities.
Although he’s experiencing the incredible joy of introducing people to Jesus, he’s also carrying a mysterious thorn in his flesh.
What is it? What’s causing Paul such pain?
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We don’t know exactly.
Some believe it was something physical. Paul may have suffered from partial blindness after the Risen Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus.
Others associate this thorn with a physical wound resulting from being shipwrecked, beaten, or imprisoned.
But most likely, this “thorn” was a metaphor for other people’s unbelief.
Not everyone who heard Paul preach converted to Christianity. Some remained unconvinced or even hard of heart.
Was Jesus really God? Or just a carpenter from Nazareth turned miracle worker?
A person’s refusal to believe in Christ pained Paul, much like a thorn in his flesh or a splinter in his foot.
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That same thorn of unbelief presses into Christ’s foot in today’s Gospel.
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By this point in his ministry, he’s healed people, cast out demons, and in last week’s Gospel, he even raised a 12-year-old girl from the dead.
When Jesus returns home to see his family and friends, you’d think he’d be welcomed as a hometown hero. But his identity is questioned – scrutinized – instead.
“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?”
By not referencing Joseph, the crowd implies they’re unsure who Jesus’ father is – a missed opportunity to call him the Son of God.
Frustrated and disappointed, Jesus leaves them with, metaphorically speaking, a thorn in his foot.
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How many of us have felt like Saint Paul or Jesus, frustrated – saddened – by another person’s unbelief?
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I’m sure we all love someone who hasn’t yet come to faith, who struggles to believe, or whose heart may even be hardened towards the Gospel.
Perhaps the most difficult experience is watching our children struggle to believe. Like Saint Paul, we do everything we can to instill faith in them.
How painful it is when we see that faith unraveling before us.
Similarly, how painful it is to see a friend, a spouse, or we ourselves, struggle with faith.
Paul felt the same way about the early Christian communities. He risked his life to teach them about Jesus. While many came to believe, others did not. The reasons were as varied then as they are today.
Today there’s the availability of false or misleading information online; peers who do not share our faith; a society that tells us to value image over substance; or periods of unfair suffering, such as the loss of a loved one or being bullied.
Paul reminds us today that we should neither be discouraged nor give up. The Lord is always with us, particularly when we’re weak in faith.
“What can separate us from the love of Christ?” he says. “Trial, or persecution, or nakedness, or the sword? No, in all these things, we conquer overwhelming through him who has loved us.”
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What we will offer here at Saint Pius X is every opportunity possible to remove those thorns from our feet; to fall in love with Jesus – strengthening our faith – through prayer, worship, Bible studies, religious education, and youth group.
And for those following us online, we will continue offering live-streamed Masses and online bible studies.
We are a community of faith meant to love and support one another – both in times of celebration and in times of trial.
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As it’s written in the Psalms, “Your word is a lamp for my path; a light for my feet.”
May the Lord remove any thorns of unbelief from us so that we may walk together as a community of faith.
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Image credits: (1) ChurchLeaders (2) VeryWell Family (3) Walk Away Paul, ChurchLeaders
