FOR THE SAKE OF CHRIST We hear a little more today about Paul giving vent to a lot of feelings, thoughts, recollections and visions. Paul is a passionate man, by any standard, and was very honest and articulate about his thoughts and feelings. But his capacity to express them is matched only by his modesty and humility. Today, he speaks of his vision as if it happened to another man. He had a personal religious experience of some kind, and was giving witness to it with courage and conviction. His was an attitude of one who would go to any lengths just to give credit to the Lord. His was a state of acceptance and Christian resignation that actually made it possible for him to accept that “thorn in the flesh” — an undefined torment or malady that he claimed was given to him so that he might not become conceited. Paul must have stood out in the crowd. He was not the one who goes with the flow, but always ready to go against the grain, if necessary. In our day, all we see in the world is its opposite, that is, spineless stances of people who just go with the tide of popular opinion and questionable surveys. According to the principles of agnotology, or the study of culturally induced doubt, even lies can be transformed into truths, provided you can come up with scientific-sounding data that point to the contrary findings of other studies. It is no secret that there are, in fact, contradictory studies about smoking that result in many people doubting whether smoking truly causes cancer. Mahatma Gandhi had only satyagraha or the force of truth to use as a weapon against institutionalized oppression. Thomas More only had his dignity and loyalty to stand on. Both had to fight lonely battles. Both had only truth as impelling force. Paul had the truth of a person behind him — Christ — who told him: “My grace is enough for you, for in weakness power reaches perfection.” He could do all that, he says, “for the sake of Christ.” Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 19:45:24 +0000
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