Page 223 - Built For God Handbook (Annotated and Explained Edition) - The Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching - The New Evangelization - Pope John Paul II

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Through the booming waves of the ocean and the rushing waters of rivers,
nature herself clearly and persistently demonstrates that water, the gentlest
of God’s creation, can wear away even the hardest stone over time. Here,
there is great wisdom reflected by the paradox that the weak overcome the
strong and the soft overcome the hard.

Because of the innate and unfortunate tendency of our fallen human nature
to be proud, self-sufficient and rely on our own resources, many of us fail to
accept and practice this wisdom, becoming biblical fools in the process.

Building on this wisdom, found so easily in nature yet proving so elusive for
humanity, the truly wise will intuitively trust the archetypal spiritual
exemplification of the paradoxical paradigm, “In weakness is strength.” They
will then place their faith in the One who lived it to the full, and whose
strength is at its best in our weakness.

The Son of God who freely accepted to also be Son of Man, took on our
sinful human nature, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, transformed
the worst possible suffering, crucifixion and death, a seemingly crushing
defeat, into an entirely new way of being, the experience of eternal life here
and now.

As nature teaches us, these greatest of all truths can only be grasped by a
paradoxical leap of faith. Some have expressed that truth in this manner:
When we are humble, honest, and open enough to share our weakness with
others, that frees them to be humble, honest, and open enough to share
their weakness with us, and together we grow.

b
a 2 Corinthians 12:8-10; 1 Corinthians 1:27; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 2:2;
c Revelation 5:11-14; Mark 8:35.
d