There is a famous saying of the English writer, Lord Acton, that 'power tends to corrupt and absolute power to corrupt absolutely'. We know so many examples of this throughout the centuries and throughout the world, the power of power to corrupt people. In human relationships, power is perhaps the most difficult reality to control and regulate.
Today's Mass readings all three speak of power, of different kinds of power. In the first reading there is a contrast between the power that entered Ezekiel to make him stand (a spirit entered me, he says), and the power of those he had to confront, the leaders of the people, both political and religious. Paul, in the second reading, boasts of his weakness, not because he has no power, but because he is well aware of the dangers of power. Lest I should mount up in pride, he says, God sent an envoy of Satan, a thorn to the flesh. He prayed to the Lord to remove this thorn from him, to the point that this word from the Lord was revealed to him: 'My grace is sufficient for you, for strength is fully manifested in weakness'. Strength is shown fully in weakness: how strange, this thought, how paradoxical.
The Gospel reading speaks of Jesus' return to his hometown and the antagonistic way in which he was received. What went wrong? Like all prophets who bring the Word of God to his own people, he is rejected. 'We know who he is,' they say, scornfully. 'Who does he think he is?' they ask, scornfully. Jesus' power is neutralised by this reaction - we know who he is - and St Mark tells us that Jesus could not perform any wonders in his homeland.
Power gives us a sense of dignity and worth, of counting for something and being effective in the world. Human beings are prepared to sacrifice many other things to have this sense of worth and effectiveness. We look to ourselves, and to the groups we identify with, to feel powerful and meaningful, secure in our identity and, more than ever, our superiority to others.
In contrast, love and goodness, truth and grace, may seem weak and ineffective in the everyday affairs of life. To expect that God will give value, integrity and effectiveness to my life: this might seem foolish. But Ezekiel knows the strength that comes from having the Word of God within him. Paul also knows this strength, just as he knows the internal struggle generated between the different forms of power in his heart. He often writes about the battle between the spirit and the flesh, between the power of the world within us and the power of the Word of God, the power of the Spirit, which is also within us.
Jesus understands best of all because he knows what is in every man . He knows the power and authority of love, just as he knows the difficulties encountered by love when it tries to convince the world of its wisdom. Is this way of love truly wise and not stupid? Is it truly powerful and not weak? Love is the only great power in the world that does not become violent, because it contains and reconciles within itself this paradox of strength and weakness, of wisdom and foolishness. Love brings with it vulnerability, acceptance, patience, experience. And love also brings with it strength, dignity, value, identity.
The temptations of power are relentless and insidious, and even when we think we are detached from them they return in subtle, confusing forms. Pride, arrogance, superiority - these are the roots that sprout indifference, exploitation, corruption, abuse of others. In the face of these things, faith counts for nothing and Christ himself is rendered powerless: he can perform no wonders where there is no vulnerability, no frankness, no acceptance of limits and weakness. Christ's wisdom will be rejected as unrealistic and impractical, even if we continue to pretend that we are followers of his way of love and truth. Jesus' power will be regarded simply as weakness. His great saving act of radical powerlessness, his death on the cross, will be ignored or turned into something pious.
Let us pray to the Lord that he will free us from the chains of pride and power, that he will give us courage for this journey towards truth. Let us pray that he will lead us into his kingdom, where love tends to heal and save, and absolute love to heal and save absolutely.
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