When I am Weak, Then I am Strong
Gospel Reflection for July 7, 2024 - Mark 6:1-6
And going out from thence, he went into his own country; and his disciples followed him.
And when the sabbath was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were in admiration at his doctrine, saying: How came this man by all these things? and what wisdom is this that is given to him, and such mighty works as are wrought by his hands?
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? are not also his sisters here with us? And they were scandalized in regard of him.
And Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred.
And he could not do any miracles there, only that he cured a few that were sick, laying his hands upon them.
And he wondered because of their unbelief, and he went through the villages round about teaching. (Mark 6:1-6 DRA)
The readings for this Sunday focus on one of the most important elements of Christianity and one which makes it unique among world religions. This element, one of the “ironies of faith” as Dr. Anthony Esolen describes them, is persecution. From the prophets, like Ezekiel in the first reading, to the Psalmist and St. Paul, with his “thorn in the flesh,” all of God's good and faithful servants suffer persecution for their faith. Indeed, it could be said that, if a Christian is not persecuted in some way, is not held in contempt by the world and forced to endure hardships for following Christ, he is not a true Christian, as St. Paul reminded St. Timothy: “And all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution.” (2 Tim 3:12)
Like Ezekial and St. Paul, this contempt comes because Christian holiness acts as what J.R.R. Tolkien called (in On Fairy-Stories) a “Mirror of scorn” to the world. It helps in the mission of the Paraclete to “convince the world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment”, (Jn 16:8)a sense that is sorely lacking today. Because of the witness of their lives of faith, hope and charity and their correction of the world's sins, those who follow Satan will naturally hate those who follow Christ - and, through deprivation of worldly comfort, they hope, as Satan did during his temptation of Christ in the desert, to convince Christians that God has abandoned them and does not truly love them. In truth, however, there is no greater consolation than desolation: precisely in persecution are Christians shown God's love, because through weakness God's power is perfected in us and through taking up our crosses and carrying them with humble patience, we imitate Christ.
This central pivot of Christianity is not found, with any significance, in any other religion. This does not mean that Christianity is a “wimpy” or “doormat” religion - indeed, Christianity, like Judaism, is what Raymond Ibrahim describes as a “muscular” religion, with “muscular” notions of right and wrong and a willingness to stand up and fight against evil on every battlefield, whether intellectual or physical. This can be seen both in the heroes of the Old Testament, such as Joshua, David and Judas Maccabee, and in the Defenders of Christendom across the centuries, including Godfrey of Bouillon, Baldwin IV, John Hunyadi, Gjergj Kastrioti and Don Juan of Austria, to name only a few. Many of these great warriors are also saints, most prominent of which are St. Louis IX and St. Ferdinand, both of whom sought to liberate formerly Christian nations and to preserve Christendom from the demonic assaults of Islam, a threat which remains with us today.
Sadly, in modern times, largely to appease popular Enlightenment notions of “tolerance” and to avert fears of Islamic terrorism, Christians tend to downplay this “muscular” element of Christianity and forget or even denounce these historic champions of the Faith, believing that the meekness, mercy and patience required of Christ’s disciples preclude such outward strength. This, however, is simply untrue, and we should be proud of these holy warriors whom God has sent and without whom the Faith would have died out many times.
Nevertheless, almost all religions and even secularists can recognize the importance of fighting against evil, or what they perceive as evil, through violence. Christianity uniquely values what to the world has no value, namely persecution, just as the Beatitudes locate the sources of happiness in what the world sees only as curses. This is the great irony at the heart of existence, the primary way by which God shows both His omnipotence and His infinite love: He is able to accomplish His Providence even through the world's rejection of Him and through what it considers to be the worst failures. Christ demonstrated this most profoundly on the Cross, one of the most iconic symbols of humiliation in history but which is now our clearest sign of hope in divine victory, one which repels demons and will one day cause every knee to bow before it.
Unfortunately, persecution of Christians is not only carried out by non-Christians. As St. Joan of Arc and St. John Chrysostom proves, Christians are sometimes persecuted even by other Christians, not only by heretics, as in the Protestant Revolution, but even by fellow Catholics. This is as true today as ever, when those in the Church who are most faithful to the Creed and who boldly correct the pervasive and demonic errors in the Church and the world are persecuted by their fellow Catholics, whether by laypeople who call themselves Catholic while flagrantly violating and denying doctrine or even by authorities in the hierarchy who seek to compromise with the spirit of the age.
In these situations, and in all instances of persecution, it is important to remember that Christianity is not the so-called Prosperity Gospel: worldly success and comfort are not necessarily signs of divine favor, nor are hardship and deprivation always signs of divine retribution. More often, the opposite is the case, since this world is ruled by the devil who will always heap rewards onto his most faithful slaves. We must seek always to imitate Christ, clinging to the Deposit of Faith without compromise, decrying the sins in the world and the Church with courage and charity while daily examining ourselves with the utmost humility and contrition, remembering always the words given by Our Lord to St. Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” The Defenders of the Faith, who fought with martial prowess, often endured persecution themselves, even by fellow Christians, and some, such as St. Joan, were finally martyred in this way. They can thus also serve as inspirations for us in our own sufferings and are waiting in Heaven to pray for us, if only we will request their intercession.
May all the heroes of the Faith, under the banner of St. Michael the Archangel, ora pro nobis!