Strength in weakness

A PASSAGE from St. Paul says it all: “For when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2 Cor 12,10). He reiterates it in another letter: “The weak things of the world has God chosen, that he may confound the strong.” (1 Cor 1,27)

This is divine logic. Christ himself consistently showed this all throughout his earthly life—from birth down to his death on the cross. The saints through the ages have tried to follow that example.

We have to understand that this logic is not meant only for God, but also for us. And I would say, especially for our leaders, clergy, politicians, teachers, people in media, in the arts, or all those who have great impact on society.

The strength more proper to us is not so much physical as spiritual, not so much intellectual as moral, not so much in terms of talents or natural endowments or worldly accomplishments as our living identity with Christ.

Our true strength has its source not in nature, but in God himself, in such a way that with St. Paul we can also say: “I can do all things in him (Christ) who strengthens me.” (Phil 4,13)

There is divine strength in what we and the world usually consider as weakness. We should always bear this truth in mind, so that whenever this weakness comes to us in whatever form, we quickly would realize we have a golden opportunity to derive divine strength from it.

No amount of physical limitations, health problems, financial difficulties, no amount of painful conflicts and failures in whatever endeavors we undertake, should weaken our conviction about this truth. On the contrary, they should reinforce it.

We have to learn to welcome and embrace hardships, our general attitude toward them being more supernatural than merely human. In this way, we avoid the dangers of anger, bitterness, discouragement, despair, sadness. In short, we can avoid the devil who is clueless about the wisdom of the cross.

Thus, we have to learn and cultivate the appropriate attitude and virtues to allow God’s grace to work in us. These could be humility, obedience, simplicity. A certain detachment from things in general is always helpful.

These could be the art of passing unnoticed, of thinking always with purity of heart, of speaking and writing with tact, charity and refinement, of acting with rectitude of intention, all driven by love—for God and for others.

The consequences would be immediate and obvious. We will experience a greater capacity to see things more objectively, to judge things more properly, to do things more effectively.

There will be palpable joy and peace not only on our faces, but also in all our behavior. Our feelings, emotions and passions are held in check. They don’t rule us. Rather we rule them according to the dictates of faith and charity.

We will have greater capacity to be more recollected, to be more prudent and discreet. In fact, what in the book of Isaiah is said can be applied to us:

“The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and godliness.

“And he shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes, nor reprove according to the hearing of the ear.” (11,2-3)

These are all possible with God’s grace and our cooperation. Imagine what goodness and transformation for the better we would all have if we learn to derive strength from weakness, how to be strong when we are weak!