Thorn On My Side

A few days ago in the readings, St. Paul spoke about having a thorn—some kind of suffering—in his life and praised God for it because it kept him from being too elated with himself. He then, with pure humility, stated how if he is going to boast, that he will only boast in his weakness because Christ’s strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).

Praise God for our weaknesses. They humble us and keep us from being too elated in ourselves or boasting in ourselves. Let us have a healthy acceptance of our weaknesses and sufferings. When faced with the realization of weakness and suffering, we can choose between two things: trust more in ourselves or trust more in God. I think that if we choose to trust in ourselves we will be disappointed. However, if we trust in God, we will never be disappointed.

I think the world sees suffering as the absence of God. However, as a Christian, I believe that suffering is a great opportunity to experience the presence of God. If only we humble ourselves, accept the thorn on our side, and embrace our cross, we would surely be on our way to experiencing God’s glory and victory in our lives. Truly we would be on the path of holiness.

Oh, how weak am I. How easy it is for me to fall into sin. How easy it is for my thoughts to sway away from what is true, good, and beautiful. How often do I squander God’s graces each day and do not use the talents He’s given me as I should. How often do I desire sinful things. How selfish am I.

Litany of Humility

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved…
From the desire of being extolled …
From the desire of being honored …
From the desire of being praised …
From the desire of being preferred to others…
From the desire of being consulted …
From the desire of being approved …
From the fear of being humiliated …
From the fear of being despised…
From the fear of suffering rebukes …
From the fear of being calumniated …
From the fear of being forgotten …
From the fear of being ridiculed …
From the fear of being wronged …
From the fear of being suspected …

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I …
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease …
That others may be chosen and I set aside …
That others may be praised and I unnoticed …
That others may be preferred to me in everything…
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…