Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 8, 2018

Homily for Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

July 8, 2018

His Power In Weakness

            Everything seemed to go wrong for poor Joseph. Born into poverty – actually in a cowshed, as the family house was in foreclosure - in 1603, he was underfed and scrawny growing up, catching every disease and sickness from pneumonia to ulcers. He was sent to school but failed every class; he had no friends because he was ugly and clumsy and boring to talk to. When he finally failed out of school as a teen, he was apprenticed to a shoemaker, but he failed at that too. Finally, in the midst of his aimless and hopeless life, he met a beggar coming through his town that changed his life.

This beggar was a Franciscan priest, begging for his community’s food. Joseph realized, “Hey, I may not be good at anything else, but I can beg!” And he applied to the local monastery to become a Franciscan priest. But he failed in this too: he was turned down twice, and when a third monastery let him in, they soon kicked him out because Joseph’s absent-minded ways and stupidity were causing a distraction in their community life.

Penniless, with nothing left but his faith in God, Joseph returned home where his own mother refused to allow him to enter the house. Instead, she got him a job tending the donkeys’ stable at another Franciscan monastery. There amidst the filth of the stable – where he not only worked, but ate and slept as well - Joseph spent long hours in prayer as he did his work, growing in his love for God.

The Franciscan monks began to notice his holiness and joy, even despite his humble circumstances and apparent failures. After a couple years, they decided to invite him into the monastery, where he impressed everyone with his deep love for God despite his evident weaknesses. Finally, the Franciscan priests decided that he should study to become a priest, because of his evident holiness.

Joseph was elated and began his studies – but continued to fail his classes. Finally, the day came for the big exam to determine whether or not he would become a deacon. He studied day in and day out, but could only remember one single line of Scripture – the rest of his lessons were completely forgotten! When the day came for the test, he was brought in, and the only question asked of him…was about that particular verse of Scriptures! He was thus able to miraculously pass the test. The following year, when they were testing to become priests, the students who went before Joseph impressed the teacher so much that he came out and declared that the entire class passed, without Joseph having to take the test – thus, despite his mental failings, Joseph became Fr. Joseph.

And then the miracles started. Fr. Joseph was granted the grace of seeing visions, of healing the sick, and even levitating in prayer! He would be so absorbed in prayer that he would literally lift off the ground – a phenomenon witnessed by thousands of people! Thousands of people came to see and hear him each year, just to get his blessing – his humility showed people the great love and humility of our God. We now call him St. Joseph of Cupertino, a saint who had nothing of his own to be proud of – and every reason to rejoice in God.

We boast of all sorts of things. We boast of our bank account, our cars, the fact that we played college baseball, our kids’ honor rolls, everything. And we do have many gifts from God. But how many of us boast of our weaknesses? St. Paul tells us to do just that – not to be ashamed that we’re bald, or bad at math, or struggle with alcohol or impatience.

But why would we boast in these bad things? St. Paul goes on to say, “So that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” It is precisely the weakest, the frailest, the smallest, the most sinful human beings that God often chooses to use. The Apostles weren’t the best and brightest; Mary was too young and uneducated; St. Paul himself was a murderer. None of them were what the world would consider sleek and successful. And yet God chose all of them and did something wonderful in their lives.

And this makes perfect sense. God can’t work in a person’s life when that person is full of themselves; they must be empty to become full of God. He gets more glory from using weak instruments, from making saints out of sinners and weak people and broken, messed-up lives. It would be easy for God to take an amazingly talented person and work through them; but God’s power is shown precisely in taking ordinary folks with messy lives and making them holy.

So don’t think you have to be perfect to invite the Lord into your life. He is the one who will perfect you; and He plans all things – even your weaknesses – for His glory. So boast of your weaknesses – invite Christ into your weaknesses. In His mercy and love, there is nothing to fear, as He will make something beautiful out of your weakness, if you let Him.