Turning Weakness To Strength

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Saturday of 11th Week in Ordinary Time, Year 1, June 19th, 2021
Texts: 2 Cor.12: 1-10; Ps. 34:8-13; Mtt. 6:24-34
In today's gospel reading, we are still on the mountain learning at the feet of Jesus Christ. Today Jesus admonishes us to have undivided devotion to God and convinces us about God's loving care for us. In today's first reading Paul continues to tell us about boasting of his weakness. He tells us that he has so many achievements in his account to boast about but that he will not dare boast about them. Boasting about our achievements wins us nothing but pride before God. Paul tells us that Boasting about our achievements could make people think more of us than we are.
Paul reminds us that God prevented him from falling into the danger of boasting about his achievements by putting a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment him. This teaches us that there are certain things in our lives that God puts there to help us attain salvation. Such things are unpleasant and stands as weakness but works for our salvation. This teaches us self-acceptance; we should learn to accept what we cannot change in our lives and offer them to God. When we offer them to God, they win us salvation. It is in such weakness that the grace of God manifests. Paul says, _"Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 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."_ By this Paul teaches us how to turn weakness into strength.
We turn weakness into strength by acknowledging them and offer them to God.  Acceptance of our weakness makes us to see the need for help, it makes us humble and approach God with humility of heart. If we are to boast we should boast about our weakness, for it opens us up to God's grace, the need for help. All we need is the grace of God, our weakness should not bother us but should lead us to obtain God's grace.
It is divine wisdom to boast about one's weakness. It is not of human nature to boast of our weakness. We often hide from our weakness. We think that forgetting our weakness makes us happy. When we hide from our weakness we become inauthentic and unrealistic. Accepting and confessing our weakness make us authentic and happy. The only way to heal our weakness and turn them into strength is by accepting and Confessing them before God.
Paul also tells that he would rather boast about achievements of another man, a man who was caught into the third heard something unutterrable. He says, _"I must boast; there is nothing to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven ... and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses."_  When we acknowledge the strength of others, it opens us up for development and growth, for we will admire them and aspire to attain the feat they have attained. This teaches us to pull nobody down but to encourage them and also aspire to be like them. The achievements of others should serve as inspiration and encouragement for us to grow and develop.
Jesus Christ tells us in today's gospel to have total devotion to God. He says  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Jesus Christ shows that anxiety about worldly things could distract us from undivided devotion to God. Our concern about our weakness could also distract us from giving total devotion to God. We gain nothing by our anxiety over worldly things and our weakness. Jesus says, _"And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?"_ Jesus tells us the right thing to do thus: _"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well."_  If we seek His kingdom and lives rightly before Him, He will turn our weakness to strength by His grace and provides for our needs. Jesus reminds us that God knows our needs and that He will provide them if we do His will. God cares about us, He loves us and provides for our needs.

Lord Jesus, thank You for opening our eyes to the love of God, help us to always seek His kingdom and lives rightly before Him. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke