…when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:10
What was the “thorn” that St. Paul spoke about in this Sunday’s second reading (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)? It actually doesn’t matter what his particular thorn was. Paul used his own experience of weakness to teach us how to see our weaknesses as strengths and to help keep our pride in check. He listed several things that could be thorns we encounter on a daily basis: “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” (v.10).
We all experience “thorns” like this each day. When was the last time you went through a day without feeling weak or tired at some point; experiencing spiritual weakness of a sinful pattern of behavior; being insulted; bearing something difficult; experiencing hostility for holding a strong Christian value; being constrained by a physical or mental ailment; or being frustrated by a lack of skill, time, money, or other resources? The good news is, we can learn how to be content with weaknesses by seeing them as thorns that keep our pride in check when God gives us the grace to bear them for Christ’s sake. Let’s pull apart the reading a little more to discover how we can understand this.
…a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated (v. 7)
Paul recognized that the thorn was given to him. He didn’t have a choice. In actuality, these “angels of Satan” are ultimately the consequences of the Fall of Man. God promised Adam thorns that after he ate the fruit: “…cursed is the ground because of you…thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you” (Genesis 3:17-18). Original sin is the true reason we are weak, constrained, and wounded. We were made for holiness and strength, but we inherited Adam’s original sin, the cause of our weakness and deep wounds.
“As a result of original sin, human nature is weakened in its powers, subject to ignorance, suffering and the domination of death, and inclined to sin (this inclination is called ‘concupiscence’).” CCC 418
The purpose of the thorn, Paul states, is to keep his ego in check, to prevent him from becoming spiritually “elated” or puffed up with pride. Think about how painful a thorn is when you prick it. It stings because of the sharp poke. A sharp enough poke to deflate an inflated ego. Paul asked God to take the thorn away, but God permitted the thorn to keep “poking” him repeatedly.
…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. (v. 9)
God told Paul that he needed to learn how to accept the thorns, with all their pain and weakness, by allowing God’s grace to carry him through the suffering. God’s grace is most powerfully experienced when we recognize our own lack of power; His strength becomes most apparent when we admit our weaknesses. Paul learned how to be content with and even boast about his thorns because by bearing them through Christ, it brings God glory. It shows God’s power, not Paul’s. Paul is not strong on his own; he is strong because Christ is dwelling within him: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). One who is crucified with Christ bears His nails, lifts His cross, and endures His crown of thorns.
…when I am weak, then I am strong. (v. 10)
This is a simple Bible verse worth memorizing and repeating whenever you encounter thorns of weakness, hardship, or lack. This is the phrase that reminds us that all of this is possible by God’s grace alone. We cannot bear these thorns with our own power. It is only by God’s power, which is made to shine even more brightly when we are weak. There’s room for God’s power to work through us when we are weakest. We must depend on Him and Him alone. If we didn’t have weaknesses and constraints, we could be tempted to be self-reliant instead of abandoning ourselves to God’s providence and relying on His strength to make us strong. “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29).
Jesus, help me to not be discouraged, frustrated, or defeated by the thorns that I encounter in my day-to-day life. Instead allow me to recognize and accept them as ways to keep me humble and dependent on God’s grace. Strengthen me when I am weak and so demonstrate Your power and glory.