IFTTT Autopost 
Today, on this Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we read an extremely important passage from St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. Paul writes:
“Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, 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. 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” (2 Cor 12: 7-10).
Bible scholars through the centuries have speculated about what Paul was calling his “thorn in the flesh.” The most common guess is that he was referring to the vast array of problems he experienced as a missionary. Others speculate that he may have been referring to a chronic illness. In more modern days, some have speculated that Paul may have been referring to internalized homophobia, seeing his sexual orientation as a curse rather than a divine blessing.
It really doesn’t matter what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was, for that is not the moral of the story. The moral is that God is always with us, and he is already to help us cope with whatever “thorns” we may have in our life. This “Divine help” is known as “grace.”
