Too Elated

2 Cor 12:7-10
Mk 6: 1-6

St. Paul believes he was given a thorn in his side, an agent of the devil no less, to keep him from being too elated.  From being too full of the joy of doing God's work.  That, at last, is something from St. Paul I can connect to.

I receive a lot of love from the students and parents of IWA.  I could grow quite conceited with myself if the admin weren't upsetting.  If the daily grind of tech week wasn't so intense.  If tragedies did not befall my students.  I could forget how small I am, in the grand scheme.  How little the actual performance product matters.  How much bigger the program itself is.  How much more important the students are.

Perhaps the Hometown, as in the gospel, or the Rebellious People from the first reading are the natural antidotes to the understandable pride of the Prophet.  The Chosen One.  The direct line to God.

We need the people who tell such folks, "Wait, no, you are just a dude born of a woman.  Do you really think you are something more special than your brother and sister standing right over there?"

No, we are children of God.  Just because we are chosen for missions that have more glory (of one kind of another) doesn't mean we are loved more or less than those around us.  But how easy it is to forget, until the Rebellious People see our human trappings and ignore the divine inspiration.  Lest we think we control the divine inspiration.

Lest we think we SHOULD be thank for everything as if everything is what we've done.

Lest we think ourselves more than the Vessel of the Holy Spirit.