DIFFERENT IN VALUES
It isn't the mighty and powerful, but the lowly and the weak that
He chooses, for God looks not at the exterior but at the interior of the heart!
If
anyone was betting on the battle between David and Goliath, I am sure that by
taking David he or she could have gotten very good odds, probably about a
thousand to one. It was like the Super Bowl champions playing a high school
football team. In everybody's opinion, except his own, David did not stand a
chance against the giant. And when people saw David approach the fully armed
Goliath with only a sling shot in hand, they were certain that all bets were
off, that the cause was hopeless.
In
yesterday's first reading from the Book of Samuel (1 Sm 16:1-13), we saw how
God is different, how His values and approaches are different from our values
and approaches. It isn't the mighty and powerful, but the lowly and the weak
that He chooses, for God looks not at the exterior but at the interior of the
heart! Our Scripture reading shows that God has a passion for the poor, the
humble, and the defenseless. His attitude is that those who are so naïve as to
rely on their own power and riches, and turn from Him, can take care of
themselves. But our heavenly Father will take care of His own, provided that we
turn to Him for all our needs.
In our
lives the most important attitude we should have is humility. Humility
recognizes that everything we are and have comes from Him and this humility, in
turn, leads to a great confidence and trust in God. The theme in our
Responsorial Psalm is one of praise: "Blessed be the Lord, my Rock"
(Ps 144:1). We put all our trust in Him! May we be prepared for service both
great and small anytime that He chooses to call you and me.
On this
anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision, Roe vs. Wade, all the dioceses of
the United States observe today as a "Day of Prayer for the Legal
Protection of Unborn Children." Let us pray that Christ, born as our
Savior, may save the unborn. We pray to the Lord.