St. Bartholomew Church

Saint Paul gives us a great one liner in our 2^nd Reading today, it’s one of the more common and easy to remember phrases from Scripture - My Grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. 

But as familiar or easy to remember as it may be, sadly when it comes to believing it, we tend to be more like the people Jesus encountered in the Gospel when he said ‘he was amazed at their lack of faith.’ Because it seems like we can at times not really believe that God’s grace is sufficient for us – especially when we are suffering the most and feel like we are all alone. 

There are any number of ways in which we are all weak in this life.  Any number of ways in which we could so easily identify the crosses that we all must bear – the things we have to endure – from the daily frustrations, to the heartbreaking realities we all must face and everything in between.  So many countless ways in which we can feel weak and powerless, broken and desolate, like we just can’t go on. 

And it is precisely in those moments when we are like St. Paul was, that God speaks to us those same words, my grace is sufficient for you for power is made perfect in weakness. 

It comes down to this - I think we need to trust God in that, to at least pray for the faith daily to trust Him in that.  As difficult as it can be for us at times, especially in the darkest of moments, I think we need to cling in faith and trust that God’s word to us is true – that especially in our weakest moments when all seems lost and hope seems so far away, to hold fast to the words he spoke to Paul, words he whispers to us when we need to hear them the most – my dear child, my Grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. 

Jesus, give us the Grace we need in our weaknesses to trust you always and to carry on.  God help us all. +