From weakness, strength

First up, a clarification from yesterday. I did not mean to say that holiday crèches and religious statues meant to convey our belief in Christ and the communion of saints should never be displayed. I love them. The issues I have are that they should be put up in our homes or on our lawns or, if they are in the public square that they are paid for with private funding, not tax dollars. I would rather that my tax dollars be spent in acting out the Gospel, not advertising it. I’m sorry if that sound harsh, but is it better to tell someone the Good News or to show it to them? I know they are both important, but with the economy in the state it is today, we have to set priorities. (Read 1Jn 3:17-18, Jas 2:15-26, Heb 11, Titus 1:16)===============================================================
Now onto today’s readings, (that I usually read the night before, to prepare me for the next day) which gave me plenty to think about this afternoon.

Ez 2:2-5 As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard the one who was speaking say to me: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day. Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you. But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD! And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house— they shall know that a prophet has been among them.

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.

Mk 6:1-6Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, "Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house." So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.


Wow. Just Wow. Where to begin? The first thing that caught my attention was the last two lines of Mark: So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. I could understand Jesus not wanting to perform any mighty deed there, because of the apparent lack of faith in Him, but the impression is that He was not able to do so. It was especially confusing to me after I considered the last line in Ezekiel: And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house— they shall know that a prophet has been among them.

He is God. There is nothing beyond His reach. And He was not ABLE? I was troubled that I couldn’t figure this out. When I went to Mass this morning, during my preparatory prayers, I decided I would ask the Holy Spirit to clear this up in my mind. Lo and behold, it was like Father Rainwater was reading my mind!

Although Christ can do whatever He wishes (and does), He does not want to force Himself upon any of us. He doesn’t need it, but He wants our cooperation and participation in His actions. When we refuse to believe in His mercy or to cooperate with the graces He bestows upon us, they are ineffective. Father Rainwater said it better, but this is the gist of what I was looking for. It isn’t that Christ wasn’t able to perform any mighty deeds in Nazareth—the people who were there while He was growing up and supposedly knew him best couldn’t or wouldn’t accept that God would incarnate Himself in this simple man and rejected His attempts at the miracles He wanted to perform for them.

It’s almost the antithesis of Paul’s statement, “ for when I am weak, then I am strong.” This statement got me thinking about Father Brandon in Lodi. As he is the first to admit, he’s extremely introverted—in social situations. He is, like Paul, able to draw strength from his “weakness”—but since I have always been somewhat of an introvert myself, I’m not sure I would call it a weakness—more of a “trait”. Instead of lamenting his trait, he uses it to give sermons based on his life’s experiences that are very good and thought provoking. The most powerful thing about his ‘weakness’ is that he NEVER has a prepared homily—He appears to make them up on the spot.

There is another similarity to draw between Father Brandon and the readings today—but with a big difference. Father was born and raised in Modesto, just about 40 miles South of the church he has been placed in charge of. So in essence, he preaches in his own hometown. In fact sometimes his family is at the Masses to listen to he sermons. But he has the acceptance and cooperation of his flock in helping to spread the Good News, and a noticeable number of young people are being drawn back to the Church as a result.

Praise to Jesus Christ, working through our holy priests.