SIMPLE AND CHILD-LIKE IN FAITH
Human wisdom and understanding
may have its place in putting up skyscrapers, building bridges, and making
money, but it is not the same as the insight given by God to the simple.
Moses had become a shepherd, working for his
father-in-law. His life was simple and unassuming, and he certainly would not
be counted among the learned and the clever of this world. He was like the
merest child spoken of by Jesus in the Gospel, to whom God offers His
revelation. At first, Moses was curious about the burning bush. When he heard
the Voice of God, he was stupified. He did not know what to do. He had to be
reminded that a sign of respect and humility was in order. That sign, according
to the custom of the time, was the removing of one's sandals. It was a gesture,
but its purpose was to help Moses realize that he was in the presence of the
Almighty God.
Shortly after each Mass begins, we do much the
same as Moses did. We acknowledge our sinfulness, express our need for God's
mercy, and humble ourselves out of respect for God's presence among us. The
penitential rite causes us to humble ourselves before God and our Faith
community; it is spiritually removing our sandals in the presence of God.
The wisdom God reveals, Jesus tells us in His
prayer, is not given to those of high status or the most literate and
intellectual. God bestows His wisdom on "the childlike". Moses himself fit that bill. He was tending
the flock, not straining over some difficult and ancient religious text, when
God called to him from the burning bush. Human wisdom and understanding may
have its place in putting up skyscrapers, building bridges, and making money,
but it is not the same as the insight given by God to the simple. Our own
emptiness, any spiritual vacuum we may feel, our sense of everything being
ordinary, might just be how God is revealing Himself to us!
The words simple, humility, emptiness of self,
and to be childlike, are all words that we hear loud and clear from today's
readings. God manifests Himself to those people to do His great work, and like
Moses we say, "Who am I?" During my reflections this morning those
words took me back to my childhood - Grandma next door. My grandparents died
before my birth, but God brought a beautiful, elderly woman into my life to be
a Grandma to me. She was a very simple, loving person who loved children. I
remember her sharing about her life and faith with me! "Grandma"
loved all kids and other kids in the neighborhood also called her
"Grandma". She did not receive great popularity in the eyes of the
world, nor did she become some big hero we hear about in the news. But she was
a wonderful Grandma just by saying "Yes" to God and by sharing herself
with kids.
There is a book I like to read from time to
time that helps me reflect on building up my spiritual life. It's called
"Everyday Simplicity" by Robert Wicks. I have referred to it before.
In one of his chapters, Wicks has readers comparing themselves to a work of
art. "Comparing ourselves to a work of art can be a good first step in the
process of looking at how we image or name, and therefore value, ourselves. Do
we feel we are like an abstract painting - spontaneous, free-flowing, elegant
and undefined? Or, are we like an intricate Flemish painting whose detailed
realism is the product of natural talent brought to the fore through
painstaking effort? By looking at ourselves as if we are a work of art, we will
then see how we are defacing or enhancing the gift God wants to give the world
through us." My Grandma next door was a natural work of art!
By looking at ourselves as if we are a work of
art, we will then see how we are defacing or enhancing the gift God wants to
give the world through each one of us. If we are organized, we will rejoice in
this and catch ourselves when we have a tendency to be rigid. If we are
sensitive, we will appreciate this gift while simultaneously checking to see
when we are blowing things out of proportion or unduly personalizing and taking
to heart comments made by others.
God calls us to be simple and to be childlike
in our faith, and to share that with others!