God Is All in All

I was just staring blankly out the kitchen window. A light snow whitened the October-green grass. Five goldfinches flitted at the feeder—they who had been bright yellow all summer were starting to fade to their winter olive drab. They do not want to stand out when the leaves are gone, for they would get eaten. I realized that  I was not quite ready for winter yet. 

“Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.” 

The Pharisee in today’s story—he did want to stand out. He puffed up his bright yellow feathers to show everyone how righteous he was. He looked down upon those who were religiously drab. The tax collector certainly had nothing to make him stand out. He just  blended in and prayed, 

“Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.” 

All that we have comes from God the Creator. The air that we breathe, the seeds that we eat, the vigor that we enjoy—all of it. The birds neither toil nor spin and yet our heavenly Father feeds them.  We too are dependent creatures. Jesus said, “He who exalts himself  will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” It would be a shame to get eaten by pride because we are too showy.  The goldfinches would agree. 

“Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.” 

What does it mean to be humble? To be humble is to see ourselves accurately. Not to make ourselves small. To know that we are small.  To see ourselves as God sees us. How does God see us? We are the  Lord’s little beloveds. Like the birds. That is how God sees us. We open our hands and moan, “Lord, I’ve got nothing.” And the face of the Creator of the Universe shines upon us and responds, “Of  course.” 

“Oh God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

Consider/Discuss 

• One way to pray constantly is the “Jesus prayer.” The prayer breathes in  and out within us as we think our thoughts and move throughout the day.  The simplest form is “Lord Jesus, have mercy.” If you want a longer version or you want to breathe more deeply, you can pray, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a poor sinner.” Breathe in the beauty  of God the Creator as you pray the first half. Breath out the brokenness of  created life as you pray the second half. Try it for one minute every hour each day. Practice until calling on the name of Jesus becomes habitual. Try it. Really do. See what happens. 
• Are you ready for winter? As the days grow shorter, the growing darkness  spurs us to turn inward. Going into prayer is a little like going into  temporary hibernation—it is not the outward show of summer, but a quiet  moment hidden in the drab of darkness. As we move from fall into winter, how could you leave showiness behind and grow more interior in your prayer life? 

Living and Praying with the Word 

Oh my Jesus, you know that we struggle to prove our worth. Our hearts swell with pride when we are pleased with ourselves. We like to be applauded. The humility that you ask for does not come easily.  Yet you transformed St. Paul from a puffed-up Pharisee to a man who faithfully ran the race of discipleship. If you can teach him to be humble, you can teach us, too. Help us to receive your gifts with the innocence of the birds. Thank you for your love and your care.