Strength or No Strength

Besides John 3:16, one of the most famous verses quoted is Philippians 4:13, what we read today.

I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me.

To be strengthened by God is an interesting thing. St Paul says that this strength is to do ALL things. Some might think that this suggests that there are some things that WITHOUT the grace and strength by God, we wouldn’t be able to do.

But if we are to hear this with the one voice of Jesus, he says without God, we can do NOTHING.

And here St. Paul says, we can do ALL THINGS.

So the risk is either we are strengthened to do it ALL or nothing at all.

What stands in between tapping in and receiving this STRENGTH from Christ. St. Paul earlier on in the reading gives a warning to “Have NO anxiety about ANYTHING.”

We can see in these two stories read from the Gospel of today, there is an anxiety that exists between the Canaanite woman and the hungry people with Jesus.

For the Canaanite woman, her worry and anxiety rests wondering if her daughter would receive the healing. If her condition would improve.

For the people in the wilderness, their anxiety was in the reality of whether or not they would have food enough to eat. Whether their needs would be met and satisfied.

Anxiety has the power to affect us in a few ways.

Lose sight of God’s work in us.

Can make us lose hope and feel as if all hope is lost. And we’re doomed.

Make us indecisive which leads to mediocrity and being cold.

Jesus desires for us have this decisiveness. To choose to be either WITH Him or against Him.

Now, we think to be with Christ means to be on his side, but it looks like it has more to do with WHO we are with rather than WHO we are opposed to.

Different problems would’ve faced the Canaanite woman.

But here, she knows in her life now, she can be WITH Jesus, who has in himself, the fulfillment of all her desires.

The anxieties of these people would’ve returned. They would be hungry again.

But they have the one who is the BREAD who came down from heaven.

Today, Jesus more than ever wants us to know that he’s not only the answer to our problems, but he’s the company to calm our anxieties to be assured that all things are impossible through him who strengthens us. AMEN.