How is the “Weakness” of God Stronger than Satan’s “Power?”

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 11/26/2013 | Msgr Charles Pope

[markomalley]

There is a line in the Letter to the Hebrews which reads:

You made [Jesus] for a little while lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor, subjecting all things under his feet.” In “subjecting” all things (to him), he left nothing not “subject to him.” Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,” but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor” because he suffered death, (Heb 2:7-9)

Now this text is clear about two things. First, All things are subject to Jesus. Second, we do not presently see or experience that all things are subject to him. Why is this? Fundamentally it is because we experience grave injustice in this world and it seems to us that wickedness and evil are often triumphant. Our sufferings too can discourage us that God has any power at all. Such things do not seem to us to be subject to Christ. Yet the text is clear that all things are under his feet even if it does not seem so.

How can we claim that Christ is triumphant over all when things so often seem the opposite?

Come with me to the cross. The text says we DO see Jesus crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death. So, here we are at the foot of the cross. And what do we see? With our earthly eyes we see complete defeat, a total failure. Jesus who cured the sick, walked on water, and even raised the dead, is now himself dead on a cross. Our fleshly eyes see only failure, and a cruel joke. Can He who saved others not save himself? Satan has won; end of story.

Or is it? You know it is not the end of the story, for on Sunday he rose. So he did defeat Satan. But how? ….Through weakness….. Through death. Even in his “weakness” God is stronger than Satan’s mightiest power. And hence, though we look about this world and see God’s “weakness” we need to understand that even in his weakness he is defeating Satan. Indeed, his greatest works have emerged from the “weakness” of his Son. An old song, “El Shaddai” says,

Through the years you made it clear,
that the time of Christ was near,
But couldn’t see what Messiah ought to be.
And Though your word contained the plan,
they just would not understand,
Your most awesome work was done,
through the frailty of your son.

We really Don’t know what we are talking about, our earthly eyes just can’t see it all. Thus the text from Hebrews makes it clear that all things are subject to him even though our earthly, eyes do not (will not) see it. Hence you and I may complain of God’s apparent weakness and question the apparent triumph of evil. But we really don’t know what we are talking about. It’s like standing at the foot of the Cross on Good Friday and proclaiming total failure. If we were there and did so we would really have no idea what we were saying. Even as we were saying it, the supposedly dead Jesus was down among the dead in Sheol awaking them and turning out the devil’s trophy room. While the Devil was running victory laps around the cross Jesus was robbing him blind of all his “trophies” (the dead) and preparing to open heaven for them who had long awaited him. All things are subject to Christ even if they don’t appear so.

Note this too, Jesus defeats pride by humility. The well known saying of Dr. Martin Luther King speaks to this necessity. “Darkness cannot drive our darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” And I would add, Pride cannot drive out pride, only humility can do that. Thus Jesus conquers Satan’s pride (and ours) by an act of awesome humility. Sadly, to earthly and fleshly eyes, the humility of God seems to many as weakness. But it is not, it is an ingenious undermining of pride, such that pride can have no real answer or strategy to conquer it.

And for us who experience our own weakness, here too we know not what we say unless the wisdom of the Cross is applied to it. St. Paul said, For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor 12:10). How are we strong? We are strong because in our weakness we learn to depend on God who is our true strength. Our greatest enemy is pride. Only our weakness can strip us of this pride so that God can use us and save us. At age forty, Moses was strong, in the prime of his life, educated, passionate and powerful. But he was too strong and in his pride he murdered a man. God couldn’t use him and so caused him to flee to the desert for purification. It took forty years. At age 80 Moses was stooped, leaned on a staff and stammered. Now he was weak enough for God to use him. At age 80, God said to Moses, “Go down Moses, tell Pharaoh to let my people go.” For when I am weak, then I am strong for then the power of God rests on me.

I like you have my crosses and suffering. A spiritual director once told me, “Thank God you’ve got them. Otherwise you’d be too proud to be saved and be heading right to hell. And even on your way God couldn’t use you.” Yes, even our weakness is subject to Christ and used mightily by him.

The Cross is a paradox and we must spend our lives learning to kneel before and heed its wisdom. Yet at present we do not see “all things subject to him,” but we do see Jesus “crowned with glory and honor” because he suffered death. God’s “weakness” is stronger than Satan’s power.

[markomalley]

Msgr Pope ping

[Nervous Tick]

Yet another profitable teaching by Msgr. Pope.

Please put me on your Msgr. Pope ping list, if you maintain one.

Thanks, God bless you, and FRegards

[GOP Poet]

lovely. thank you markomalley!!

[johngrace]

Amen. The greatest moment of the Holy Spirit comes after heartfelt contrition.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Happy Thanksgiving to all !

[Tax-chick]

An old song, “El Shaddai” says, ...

An "old" song from about 1980, *sznicker*.

[Tax-chick]

Happy Thanksgiving, FRiend! Stay warm!

[NYer]

Ping!

[Biggirl]

God Bless Msgr Pope!

[Biggirl]

I do remember the song though and I am dating myself here. :)

[Biggirl]

Also I liked the artcle about bringing back the cross without the image of the risen Christ.

[Tax-chick]

Oh, I remember it, too, on the radio and in church! According to Wikipedia, it was written around 1980, and Amy Grant had the big hit with it in 1982.

[Arthur McGowan]

It must be a great cross for Msgr. Pope to have to work under a bishop who obstinately persists in public mortal sin.

The mortal sin that Cardinal Wuerl persists in is his approval of the reception of Holy Communion by “Catholics” who promote abortion.

Canon 915 mandates that people who obstinately persist in situations of manifest grave sin (i.e., people who refuse to stop committing notorious mortal sins) “MUST” not be given Holy Communion. A bishop or priest who refuses to obey Canon 915 commits mortal sin because, by necessity, such refusal is to participate in committing sacrilege and causing grave scandal.

Either promoting abortion is sinful, or pro-abortion Catholics may receive Communion. Any time Nancy Pelosi (or any other abortion-promoter) is questioned about her support for abortion, she is entitled to point to Cardinal Wuerl’s approval of her reception of Communion, because Cardinal Wuerl is teaching the public, as clearly as he possibly could, that promoting abortion is not sinful.