4TH WEEK OF LENT: STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS

“Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” – Psalm 82:3-4

“THE STRONG AND THE WEAK”

“There is a law that is not in nature, at least not in raw nature, namely, “We who are strong should bear the infirmities of the weak and not please ourselves.” It is here that Christianity makes its most unique and distinctive pronouncement, and gives the supreme example of Divinity dying for the weakness and sinfulness of humanity. The Christian law is not “the survivor of the fittest” but ‘the survival of the unfit.” – Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

When Jesus was approached by people of means, who showed interest in His teachings, he told them to give what they possessed to the poor and then come follow Him. He saw that their weakness was not in poverty but in their wealth. One can’t love God and money, we are told. “Where your love is, so also will be your heart .”

The poor, by circumstance, know humility well. The rich, by circumstance, are apt not to know it at all.

The poor are more susceptible to manipulation by those with evil intent. For in their need they will often accept help from the wicked as well as the just. However, with the just,  there will be no strings attached; for charity is done out of duty to love. Responsibility, then, must fall upon those with the means and purity of heart, to protect those who are unable to protect themselves.

We all are weak in one respect or another. One does not need to be impoverished to know weakness. There are those of weak character who are also in need of healing. Christ emphasizes this in those whom he chose to be His apostles. The apostles were, initially, not the type of men most would have considered to be the best choice to further the cause of Christianity, nor ensure the growth of the Catholic Church.

But, God doesn’t choose the likely. Instead, He confounds by calling upon the unlikely to carry out his plan. His chooses not the strong, but the weak. He chooses not as subjective fallible men would, but as befits His infallible foreknowledge. He chooses not because of what one is, but because of what one can become.

“for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearances, but the Lord looks on the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16: 6-7

Within God’s vision is hope for us all.