Homilies Alive
Story/Homilies
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 6, 2003
Homily Code: AS-6
Ezekiel 2:2-5
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Mark 6:1-6
Paul doesn't tell us what the "thorn
in his flesh" was. But like all of us, he prayed very hard to be relieved of
whatever it was that afflicted him. He was luckier than most of us; he got a
direct answer. But the answer was very strange: "In weakness," God tells him, "my
power reaches perfection." That doesn't make much sense.
Yet God is no stranger to
weakness. The Lord's best efforts to win back
We who follow Jesus remember
the hour of his greatest weakness. Hanging on a cruel cross, he defeated even
death---not only for himself but for all of us. Maybe Paul has a point after
all. Jesus' power certainly reached perfection in weakness.
A woman once related this story
about a cross-country trip after three days on the road.
As we neared the
I'd heard every horror story--
radiators that boil dry, blow-outs, relentless sun that crisps fragile flesh,
the sheer isolation of the long asphalt strip that winds its way through the
rocky desolation. Hours with no bathroom, no water-- nothing. No help.
That frightened me the most. If
we got into trouble, who would help us? How could I protect my children if the
worst happened? They were dependent on me, and for the first time in my life I
had nobody.
Noticing the Bible clutched in
my hand, I realized I hadn't had time for that day's devotional. I
began to read in Revelation chapter 12, the woman and the dragon. A scene of
dramatic rescue as the child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
I read on: the woman fled into
the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of.
I sat up straight, my heart
pounding, in a very real sense I was a woman in flight myself. Looking for a
safe place, fleeing into the desert. The words were alive for me, as if I was
hearing, not reading them.
In a twinkling the desert was
no longer a sinister threat, but a haven to be embraced. In a short while, I,
had settled for the night and was fast asleep.
My nerves were steady when the
alarm went off. We got up, had breakfast, and loaded up. It would be a long day.
I was grateful for the reassurance I'd received the night before. I wanted to
believe the desert was somewhere I might "be taken care of." As I took deep
breath and off we went.
We drove in the dark for a cool
hour. Then the sun rose, full throttle. Not a cloud to be seen, or another car
for that matter. I looked at the dash, checking the dials and gauges one more
time. Temperature was holding okay, but my palms were getting a little sweaty.
I laid the back of my hand
against the windshield. Hot already. Thank you lord for the air conditioning!
Please, keep our little car going. Please take care of us" a place
prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of.. I turned the words
over again in my heart.
Almost subconsciously at first,
I became aware that a shadow had fallen over the car. No matter the bends and
curves in the road, the shadow bent and curved with us. The sky was perfectly
blue and clear, except for this one little cloud whose shadow tracked our
vehicle like a homing device.
After a couple of hours we
stopped for gas. I could see the cloud, waiting like a patient friend. We
resumed our journey, and the cloud shadowed us once again. We drove for another
two hours under the cloud. I laughed out loud with delight at the one who was
taking care of us.
As we drove back into
civilization I realized the cloud had disappeared without my even realizing it.
But it's presence remains with me always and reminds me of the time I was so
weak, and God's love gave me power.
If only we could figure out how
to find the power that lies within our weakness. Perhaps the key is to realize
how totally we depend on God.
story from: Chicken Soup For
The Christian Soul