Letting God's Grace Get the Week Started on the Right Foot
Now that most of us are back to our regular work routines and school routines after a long weekend, I wanted to share a kind of everyday story with you.
It was one of those sleepy Monday mornings before work. Frankly, I had to push myself to pull out my Bible for my morning Scripture reading. And when I finally did, it was hard to concentrate on what I was reading.
Meanwhile, as I'm reading, I"m thinking about having to drop off my car at the shop before getting to work. So no way I can get to morning Mass, right? Ah, that's OK. It's not like it's a mortal sin or anything. Back to my reading...
The words of Psalm 97 - one of those "sing a new song" psalms - pass harmlessly before my eyes. Sing...right...next. Similarly, the words of Wisdom, Chapter 18 kind of slip by my unfocused mind without my really paying attention.
Well, at least I'm "getting through" my Scripture. I should get some "credit" for this, right?
Then, when I get to my Gospel reading, there's that woman from Canaan in Matthew 15: 21-29 who asks Our Lord to cure her daughter of the presence of a devil. And, of course, Our Lord's seemingly harsh, insensitive response to her:
"I know what I would have done had He spoken to me that way," I'm thinking. And it wouldn't have been the way the Canaanite woman responded:
Remarkable, isn't it. Having read this passage dozens of times, it still strikes me - even in the midst of the sleepy Monday morning fog. Here I am thinking I should get "credit" for dragging myself through my Scripture reading. Here's this woman knowing she deserves nothing from Jesus, even being humiliated by Him in front of others. Yet in the midst of her humiliation, for the sake of her daughter, she asks for Our Lord's help.
So now I'm off to the shop to drop off the car. To my surprise, I get there earlier than I thought, they're not too busy, I leave the car and head to the office. What's this? There's time for Mass before I start working. So I stop by church.
This morning, an African priest who's visiting for the summer says Mass. I've seen him before. He's got a real gift for preaching. And, lo and behold, Father decides to emphasize three important points, all connected to today's readings. Catch this:
Why do I remember this? Because he repeated these three enough times throughout his brief weekday morning sermon, just enough so that you'd have to basically be unconscious not to remember them. (See, I still remember them!)
Act justly: The virtue of justice calls me to wake up and give my full and best effort to my work, no matter how sleepy this Monday started out.
Love tenderly: And when I get home tonight, even if Monday proves to be one of those post-weekend struggling through my to-do pile type of Mondays, it's important to not just "try" to be cheerful to my wife and kids, but, better still, love them tenderly. Yes, that's right, tenderly.
Walk humbly with God: It reminds me of the Canaanite woman. Her humility allowed her to save her daughter from demonic possession. She didn't let her pride stand in the way of loving here daughter (tenderly?) and her humility gave Jesus the chance to show his (tender?) love for her and her daughter.
And why did all this sink into my soul in spite of a sleepy, lazy, unfocused Monday morning? That's the final lesson learned this day: God's grace. He gives it freely to us because He loves us. All I had to do was be open to His grace. The idea of getting "credit" for pushing myself to do my reading was foolish. What really happened was that - in spite of my foolishness - I was telling Him that I was open to His grace.
It was one of those sleepy Monday mornings before work. Frankly, I had to push myself to pull out my Bible for my morning Scripture reading. And when I finally did, it was hard to concentrate on what I was reading.
Meanwhile, as I'm reading, I"m thinking about having to drop off my car at the shop before getting to work. So no way I can get to morning Mass, right? Ah, that's OK. It's not like it's a mortal sin or anything. Back to my reading...
The words of Psalm 97 - one of those "sing a new song" psalms - pass harmlessly before my eyes. Sing...right...next. Similarly, the words of Wisdom, Chapter 18 kind of slip by my unfocused mind without my really paying attention.
Well, at least I'm "getting through" my Scripture. I should get some "credit" for this, right?
Then, when I get to my Gospel reading, there's that woman from Canaan in Matthew 15: 21-29 who asks Our Lord to cure her daughter of the presence of a devil. And, of course, Our Lord's seemingly harsh, insensitive response to her:
It is not good to take the bread of the children, and
to cast it to the dogs.
"I know what I would have done had He spoken to me that way," I'm thinking. And it wouldn't have been the way the Canaanite woman responded:
Yea, Lord; for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall
from the table of their masters.
Remarkable, isn't it. Having read this passage dozens of times, it still strikes me - even in the midst of the sleepy Monday morning fog. Here I am thinking I should get "credit" for dragging myself through my Scripture reading. Here's this woman knowing she deserves nothing from Jesus, even being humiliated by Him in front of others. Yet in the midst of her humiliation, for the sake of her daughter, she asks for Our Lord's help.
So now I'm off to the shop to drop off the car. To my surprise, I get there earlier than I thought, they're not too busy, I leave the car and head to the office. What's this? There's time for Mass before I start working. So I stop by church.
This morning, an African priest who's visiting for the summer says Mass. I've seen him before. He's got a real gift for preaching. And, lo and behold, Father decides to emphasize three important points, all connected to today's readings. Catch this:
- Act justly.
- Love tenderly.
- Walk humbly with God.
Why do I remember this? Because he repeated these three enough times throughout his brief weekday morning sermon, just enough so that you'd have to basically be unconscious not to remember them. (See, I still remember them!)
Act justly: The virtue of justice calls me to wake up and give my full and best effort to my work, no matter how sleepy this Monday started out.
Love tenderly: And when I get home tonight, even if Monday proves to be one of those post-weekend struggling through my to-do pile type of Mondays, it's important to not just "try" to be cheerful to my wife and kids, but, better still, love them tenderly. Yes, that's right, tenderly.
Walk humbly with God: It reminds me of the Canaanite woman. Her humility allowed her to save her daughter from demonic possession. She didn't let her pride stand in the way of loving here daughter (tenderly?) and her humility gave Jesus the chance to show his (tender?) love for her and her daughter.
And why did all this sink into my soul in spite of a sleepy, lazy, unfocused Monday morning? That's the final lesson learned this day: God's grace. He gives it freely to us because He loves us. All I had to do was be open to His grace. The idea of getting "credit" for pushing myself to do my reading was foolish. What really happened was that - in spite of my foolishness - I was telling Him that I was open to His grace.
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