Thought of the Day September 21, 2021 My grace is sufficient
At one point in his life, St. Paul asked the Lord three times to take away "the thorn in his side". God's response was, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power shines forth more perfectly in weakness." Here is what St. Augustine said about this passage. I share this for your reflection.
"In the kind of
affliction, then, which can bring either good or ill, we do not know what it is
right to pray for; yet, because it is difficult, troublesome and against the
grain for us, weak as we are, we do what every human would do, we pray that it
may be taken away from us. We owe, however, at least this much in our duty to
God: if he does not take it away, we must not imagine that we are being
forgotten by him but because of our loving endurance of evil, must await
greater blessings in its place. In this way, power shines forth more
perfectly in weakness. These words are written to prevent us from having
too great an opinion of ourselves if our prayer is granted, when we are
impatient in asking for something that it would be better not to receive; and to
prevent us from being dejected, and distrustful of God’s
mercy toward us, if our prayer is not granted, when we ask for something that
would bring us greater affliction, or completely ruin us through the corrupting
influence of prosperity. In these cases we do not know what is right to ask for
in prayer."
With Jesus we pray: "Father, take away this cup, yet not my will but yours be done."
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