What is Your “Thorn in the Side”?

I went to Mass at the Basilica last night, and one of the readings has been sticking in my head since then.

This Sunday’s second reading, II Corinthians 12:7-10, makes mention of something that has driven Biblical scholars nuts forever: what was St Paul’s “thorn in the side” he refers to. There are no concrete clues in the passage as it was read today:

Brothers and sisters:
That I, Paul, might not become too elated,
because of the abundance of the revelations,
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.

The topic ends at this point.

The footnote in my New American/St Joseph’s Bible says this about the thorn reference: “variously interpreted as a sickness or physical disability, a temptation, or a handicap connected with his apostolic activity. But since the Hebrew ‘thorn in the flesh,’ like English ‘thorn in the side,’ refers to persons, Paul may be referring to some especially persistent and obnoxious opponent.”

No matter the attribution, it’s a powerful passage. A friend from the SFO called today to see when we could get together this week to discuss various matters, and she brought up this reading that she'd listened to at Mass this morning. It was ironic because I was reading the above passage online when she called. I wasn't the only one the reading touched.

Thorn in the side… three times… keep me from being elated. It tells that Paul’s apostolic days were not rosy (not that any of the apostles had it easy!), that he had difficulties from within and without; that whatever this ‘thorn’ was, that it was intolerable to the point where he asked the Lord to take it away not once, but three times. Christ had risen from the worst of treatments, to a criminal’s death. He had asked the Father to take that cup from him in the Garden—as Paul has asked here—and both of them had to submit: Christ for the sake of His Father, Paul for the “sake of Christ.”

But what does that mean for us?

To use a tired expression, we all have our crosses. Some are not as crushing as others, but all have the tendency to make the bearer beg for a break. As Mother Teresa said—and something I used as my email signature for the longest time—“I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle; I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.” And, essentially, this is what the Lord told Paul. In our vernacular, “suck it up and trust Me.”

It is only human to want to dump our personal crosses. But it is God’s grace to us, as it was said here, that enables us to bear so much. “My grace,” He said, “is sufficient for you,” He said. Sufficient for his every need in his mission, and to overcome whatever angel of Satan was persecuting him.

Notice that there is a positive spin on this, that Paul discovered positive value in his pain: it “keeps me from being too elated.” Overconfidence, perhaps, in his preaching? Or overconfidence due to the visions he alluded to? Also, he has reached a contentment that shall be borne out despite the hardships because God is with him. Christ dwells with him in his weaknesses, thereby becoming all the stronger… as He does for all of us, if we just look for Him.

Which begs for our personal reflection: who and what are the thorns in our lives? Do we trust in His grace and mercy to get through the tough parts of life? Do we truly understand that Christ helps those who are weak if they only believe?

Who/what are the thorns in your life?
How do you deal with them?
Are you resolute in shouldering them?
Or do you try and palm them off as someone else’s problem?
Do you trust God to help you?

God trusted Christ to bear his burden; Christ trusted Paul to carry his. God trusts that we will handle ours.

But do we?