Benedetto XVI: Che cosa è questa «spina» nella carne di cui parla San Paolo?

BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience Hall - Wednesday, June 13, 2012 Contemplation and the Power of Prayer (2 Corinthians 12:1-10) Dear brothers and sisters, daily encounters with the Lord and frequent reception of the Sacraments allow us to open our minds and hearts to his presence, his words, and his action. Prayer is not only the soul's breath, but, to use an image, it is also the oasis of peace from which we can draw the water that nourishes our spiritual life and transforms our existence. And God draws us toward himself, leads us up the mountain of holiness, so that we may be ever closer to him, offering us light and consolation along the way. This is the personal experience to which Saint Paul refers in chapter 12 of the Second Letter to the Corinthians, which I would like to reflect on today. (...) Saint Paul continues by saying that precisely so as not to be puffed up with pride by the greatness of the revelations he has received, he bears within himself a "thorn" (2 Cor 12:7), a suffering, and he forcefully begs the Risen One to be freed from the messenger of the Evil One, from this painful thorn in his flesh. Three times, he reports, he insistently prayed to the Lord to remove this trial. And it is in this situation that, in the profound contemplation of God, during which "he heard unspeakable words that it is not lawful for a man to utter" (v. 4), he receives an answer to his plea. The Risen One addresses him with clear and reassuring words: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (v. 9). Paul's commentary on these words may leave one astonished, but (...) First of all, what weaknesses is the Apostle speaking of? What is this "thorn" in the flesh? We don't know, and he doesn't say so, but his attitude makes us understand that every difficulty in following Christ and bearing witness to his Gospel can be overcome by opening ourselves with trust to the Lord's action. Saint Paul is well aware of being an "unworthy servant" (Luke 17:10)—it is not he who has done great things, it is the Lord—an "earthen vessel" (2 Cor 4:7), in which God places the riches and power of his Grace. (...) We must, therefore, have the humility not to trust simply in ourselves, but to work, with the Lord's help, in the Lord's vineyard, entrusting ourselves to Him as fragile "earthen vessels." Saint Paul relates two particular revelations that radically changed his life. The first—we know—is the shocking question on the road to Damascus: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" (Acts 9:4), a question that led him to discover and encounter Christ, alive and present, and to hear his call to be an apostle of the Gospel. The second is the word the Lord addressed to him in the contemplative prayer experience we are reflecting on: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." Only faith, trusting in God's action, in the goodness of God who never abandons us, is the guarantee that we will not labor in vain. Thus, the Lord's grace was the strength that accompanied Saint Paul in his immense labors to spread the Gospel, and his heart entered into the heart of Christ, becoming capable of leading others to the One who died and rose again for us. In prayer, therefore, we open our soul to the Lord so that He may dwell in our weakness, transforming it into strength for the Gospel. The Greek verb Paul uses to describe this dwelling of the Lord in his fragile humanity is also rich in meaning; he uses episkenoo, which we could translate as "to pitch one's tent." The Lord continues to pitch his tent within us, among us: it is the Mystery of the Incarnation. The same divine Word, who came to dwell in our humanity, wants to dwell within us, to pitch his tent in us, to illuminate and transform our lives and the world. CLICK HERE https://www.vatican.va/content/benedi... FULL TEXT