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Browsing Father Michael Deering's Sunday Homilies

Power is made perfect in weakness!

Power is made perfect in weakness!
Homily originally presented July 4, 2021
by Monsignor Michael Deering

 

You’ve probably heard me tell you that if you attend Mass every day of the year

for 3 consecutive years, you will have heard 95% of the Bible proclaimed.

 

This is because the Church has arranged Bible passages into a 3-year lectionary so that the fullness of God’s word is regularly being proclaimed to the people.

 

Well, the 5% of the Bible that is not formally proclaimed at Mass is important too. And today, I want to share a passage from that 5% that you’ve not heard at Mass,

because it vividly demonstrates the core message of our other 3 readings today.

 

In Chapter 7 of the Book of Judges, the Israelite leader, Gideon, had gathered 32,000 men to march and do battle with the enemy. But God says to Gideon,

"You have too many soldiers with you for me to deliver Midian into their power, lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, 'My own power brought me the victory.'

 

So Gideon lets 22,000 soldiers go home leaving just 10,000 soldiers to do battle.

But God says, "There are still too many soldiers.”

So Gideon selects just 300 of the 10,000 and lets the others go home.

Then God says to Gideon, “By means of the three hundred … I will save you and will deliver Midian into your power.

 

And He didby Gideon following God’s plan, the enemy was thrown into great confusion and they killed many of their own and the rest of them were scattered!

 

So, did man himself secure the victory?       No!

Man trusting in the power of God won the victory!

A power greater than that of 32,000 men

Who won the victory? Man drawing on the power and wisdom of God!

They started with 32,000 soldiers … but went into battle with 300 + God and won!

 

This passage is a striking example of the power that we have access to in God.

 

And it shows us that God is ready, willing and able to offer His power to us.

 

But receiving it takes faithfaith that there is a God, who is a higher power.

And even more than that, it takes ... humility of heart to admit ... that we’re

not so big and strong and that we absolutely need God’s help in our daily battles.

 

That was definitely not how the Israelites felt when God sent the Prophet Ezekiel to them. Here’s how God described His Chosen People in our First Reading today:

“I am sending you to the Israelites, rebels who have rebelled against me;

they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day.

Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you.”

 

Do you know anyone like that?           ... Hard of face and obstinate of heart ...

Yeah … most everyone in the world!

 

You see, pride and arrogance arose in the human heart from the very start.

 

No sooner had God created human persons and endowed them with free will ...

that they wanted to be gods themselves and sought after their own power.

 

Abbot Emeritus Cletus up at St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman humorously says:

 “In the beginning, God created man in his own image.

and shortly thereafter ...  man returned the favor!”

 

Recall from Genesis the words of the Tempter, who offered the apple to Eve saying, “God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened

and you will be like gods.”

 

So what did she do? Eve took a bite of the apple and gave some of it to her husband.

 

Pride and arrogance ... instead of ... humility and obedience!

 

They quickly discovered that instead of becoming like gods, they were put in their placeoutside the Garden of Eden … to struggle and strain and eventually die.

 

So how do we appease our human desire for power?

We tap into the power of God!

 

This was the great insight that St. Paul came to discover in his life.

 

In our Second Reading from 2nd Corinthians, Paul describes how he went to

the Lord three times in prayer to get Him to remove

a certain “thorn in the flesh” that he struggled with.

 

Instead of giving him relief, Jesus simply told to him :

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.

 

What is it that would ever move you to ask for help?

The painful awareness of your weakness … of your need for help and assistance.

 

Once Paul discovers that he has access to the unlimited power of God, he writes,

“I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” And he concludes, “for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

 

So you want to be strong?    Then readily admit of your weaknesses to God.

That’s when the power of Christ begins to flow in you and in your life.

 

Realize that this is the exact opposite of how society operates.

Every day in the news, different government departments and offices say they are determined to try something different to solve the many problems we have with the budget and the banks and unemployment and schools and crime and drugs, etc.

         

Really? Many of our leaders aren’t even praying let alone going to Church.

And in their arrogance, they leave the power of God out of the equation ...

and they go along trying to do with 32,000 what God can do with 300!

 

It hasn’t always been this way you know.

 

In the early years of our great nation, which began 245 years ago today,

we were a humble, God-loving people.

 

Being a new nation, we were not so sure of ourselves

and so we humbly and happily called on God for His every gift and blessing.

 

I’d like to share with you some quotes from the Flyer I received last week commemorating the 4th of July ... the anniversary of our Independence.

 

The title is: “America was founded and built on Faith in God”,

and it contains quotes from our Founding Fathers and our early Presidents ...

 

 

 ... Here are a few of the quotes ...

 

 

How about that?            It makes me want to frame it!

 

That’s how we started just 245 years ago ... when God was an important part of life.

 

All I can think of after reading this is Jesus’ words in the Book of Revelation

where He chastises the people saying, How far you have fallen.”

 

Indeed, how far we have fallen … in just 245 years!

 

Where have we fallen? … away from God and into our own prideful arrogance.

 

Where His name and His word were initially encouraged in the classroom;

today they are banned.

 

Where people used to go to Church and tried to live in accord with His laws,

they now live in open opposition to God’s commands about life and love.

 

 

People keep expecting things to get better. But they’ll never get better ...

until we return to expressing our faith in the plan and power of God.

 

We heard this in our Gospel today, where Jesus ... the all-powerful Son of God enters His hometown but refrained from performing any miracles there. Why?

Because in their pride and arrogance ...

they refused to believe in Him ... and seek His help.

 

Mark records, “So (Jesus) was unable to perform any mighty deed there

He was amazed at their lack of faith.”

 

Everyone wants to see a miracle ...

but no one wants to believe in the Miracle Maker, who is God.

 

God is the Miracle MakerHe has the power to make all things new.

Jesus demonstrated this many times with miraculous healings,and He demonstrated

this most powerfully ... when He raised Himself from the tomb in a glorified body.

 

How do we get God’s miraculous help?

The first step is to believe in Him. (You have to believe in the unbelievable)

The second step is to admit our weakness, humble ourself and beg for His help.

 

This was beautifully portrayed in the movie Romero filmed some 30 years ago which showed the efforts of Archbishop Romero to help

the people in Central America in their struggle for freedom.

 

After showing all the terror and abuse that the Catholic people were suffering

in that land, and just when the Rebels seem to have the upper hand,

there’ a scene  where Archbishop Romero is walking alone on a dusty road and being totally exasperated by his inability to guide them to peace in the midst of evil,

he falls to his knees and cries out

“I can’t … you must!”

 

Those words admit of weakness & total dependence on God.

“I can’t … you must!”

 

Those words need to become our words.    I can’t ... You can ... help me!

God, by myself I can’t do itso You must come and help me.    And He will.

 

How many men are you going to take into battle? 32,000 … or 300 plus God?

 

The smartest thing you could ever do ... is to keep God fighting with you!

For if we dare to turn away from Him, say goodbye to the blessing of His help.

 

 

The blessing of God’s help is something we absolutely need.

 

The blessing of God’s help is something we need to trust in and ask for.

 

As we celebrate our Nation’s Birthday today,

let’s pray that our country reclaims its trust in God

that got us off to such a good and blessed start.

 

Do you realize that the united States of America is the envy of the world?

in Medicine, in Military, in Education, in Food, in Freedom, in Standard of Living

 

We didn’t do this ourselves ... we did it ... with God!

 

Pray that we realize and rejoice in our absolute dependence on Him ...

recognizing as St. Paul did ... that when we are weak, then we are strong.”

 

Remember too, the words from Psalm 33

that Abraham Lincoln used in his prayer on that first Thanksgiving:

Blessed is the land whose God is the Lord.”

 

And contemplate God’s promise way back in 2nd Chronicles where He said,

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves,

and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

 

Let’s live up to the Declaration imprinted on our money:

In God we trust!”

 

So that God may continueto bless America.

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