Our Weakness Qualifies Us

 



Our weakness identifies us with the rest of humanity.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time B, October 27th, 2024

Texts: Jeremiah 31:7-9; Psalm 126:1-6; Hebrews 5:1-6; Mark 10:46-52

Our weakness qualifies us before God. This is because our weakness identifies us with the rest of humanity. The grace of God elevates us and binds us to God. Our weakness binds us with the rest of humanity and evokes compassion for others. Without our weakness we cannot serve humanity. 

Today’s second reading specifically reveals this truth in the life of priests. We read, “He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.”

Sometimes you wonder what qualifies a person to be a priest! It is nothing other than his weakness. The rest is the grace of God. God needs his weakness to show that it is his grace that is at work in him. Hence, we should rather see in the weakness of priests the gratuitousness of God’s grace. The gratuitousness of God speaks of Him as a God who gives grace irrespective of who the person is. 

God’s grace is independent of our works

God’s grace is independent of our works; both the righteous and unrighteous enjoy it. Jesus says, “He causes his sun to rise on evil people as well as on those who are good, and his rain falls on both the righteous and the wicked” (Mtt. 5:45). Priest is a priest because of God’s merciful love, not because the priest is good or righteous. Priest is a priest because he is human with his weakness. This means we cannot have a perfect priest.

Today’s first reading reveals that the weak are of priority when it comes to the grace of God. Among the exiles to return God specifically mentions the lame, the blind, the woman with child and her who is in travail. This is because it is in them the grace of God shines forth. People know the Lord’s doing in the life of the weak. 

My grace is sufficient for you

The Lord’s word to St. Paul says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2Cor. 12:9). This does not mean that weakness perfects power but reveals power perfectly.

Weakness qualifies us because it makes us depend on God since we have no strength of our own. Weakness is not to make us abandon God but make us rely on Him. Our weakness should open us up to God’s grace. Hence, it is what God places in us to make us feel the need of Him. It is that which connects us with higher power.

What brought Bartimaeus to Jesus was his weakness. His blindness made him open up to God’s grace and higher power. He said, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" When Jesus asked him what he needed he said, "Master, let me receive my sight." We read, “And  Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.” God’s grace is always available for us to receive.

Prayer

Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Amen (Collect)

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke