14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (“B”)
Q. 692: What is this “thorn in the side” that St. Paul speaks about (2 Cor 12:7-10)? (Return to INDEX page of "Didja Know?" series)
July 8, 2012
A. 692: Those of us who preach with some regularity sometimes receive kind words from the parishioners about our homilies. We do our best to remember to give all credit and glory to the Holy Spirit, who inspired the words we use. To do otherwise would be to exhibit a total lack of humility and a selfish and misguided arrogance about our own abilities. Sometimes we receive “darts” from those who disagree with us or the Church; those rare times are “thorns” for us to accept and endure – to remind us to stay humble and focused.
St. Paul was a great preacher and evangelizer (and I am grateful that my parents named me after that great apostle, because preaching God’s truths is my greatest joy). But there was something happening in his ministry that he called “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:7) which he said God gave to him to keep him from becoming too jubilant or proud.
We do not know with certainty what that “thorn” was. There is a lot of speculation. For example, some suggest it could be a speech impediment, or other physical ailment which caused him some embarrassment even in his successful work of evangelization. Others suggest that perhaps it was the pain he constantly felt when his own Jewish people resisted the gospel. Still others opine that perhaps an adversarial group of Jews were hounding him in his work, making it difficult for Paul to focus on his message.
No matter what that “thorn” was, the message is clear: all is gift; all is grace. All St. Paul needs is God’s grace in his life. So even if he suffers with Christ because of that “thorn,” it must be God’s will if He permits it to happen; so all he must do is accept and endure the thorn. God will take care of the results!
KNOW YOUR CATECHISM! As St. Paul found out, even the most intense prayers do not always obtain a healing of an illness. Thus St. Paul learned from the Lord that “my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Somehow, in our flesh we complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his Body. (CCC 1508)
Deacon Paul Rooney
Mary Our Queen Parish, Omaha
(Go back to Deacon Paul's HOME PAGE)
