SIMPLICITY BORN OF WISDOM
Simplicity allows
us to be free both to enjoy and to let go of all of life because we know there
is more.
Today's
first reading from the Prophet Isaiah has a strange, bellicose ring to it. We
must understand its background. In Isaiah's time Assyria was the great military
power bent upon conquering all its neighbors. One might say that it was like
the Soviet Russia of that time. Moreover, there was no country like the United
States to counterbalance its power. The Assyrians were haughty and in their
pride they attributed their victories to their own power and their national
god, Ashur. However, Isaiah knew and proclaimed that Assyria was but an
instrument in the hands of God to purify sinful Judah, and that God would in
time humble Assyria.
Of
course the Assyrians would have scoffed at Isaiah's message if they had heard
it. They would have considered the great prophet's approach to be childish to
the hard, cruel world of politics and war. The truth was that Isaiah was the
truly wise person, not because he was childish, but because he was childlike in
his openness to God's revelation. He had a simplicity born of wisdom.
Jesus
in the Gospel approves of Isaiah and all those like him. In fact, He gives
praise to His heavenly Father for His love of the simple and the humble, those
who are childlike. He prays, "Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to You I
offer praise, for what You have hidden from the learned and the clever, You
have revealed to the merest children."
The
word "simplicity" reminds me of a book that I like to read and used
for my daily reflections. The title is Everyday Simplicity, by Robert Wicks. He
said that simplicity allows us to be free both to enjoy and to let go of all of
life because we know there is more. We trust that God will provide us with what
we need at each successive stage of life, even after we die.
An
attitude like this allows us to be concerned about our family and friends, but
not pulled down by them. An attitude of simplicity encourages us to enjoy all
we have, but not to become addicted to people or things so we feel permanently
lost without them. The reason we can do this is that we are grateful for what
we have and have had. We trust that all our treasures are from God. When our
will joins God's will, we have real freedom. With this freedom we can enjoy all
else that is before us and be childlike in our everyday life. However, when
this doesn't take place, we set our hearts on something or someone else. Then
in the midst of preoccupations and fears, our highs and lows, we temporarily
lose ourselves. It is worth it, to be aware of this basic danger in our
spiritual life, to take time for meditation and reflection. When we recognize
what preoccupies us, we can also recognize its great and unnecessary cost. Simplicity
also allows us to receive and enjoy more of life than we would if we spent time
focusing on whether we were getting our share. Simplicity transforms us from
worried, preoccupied, demanding individuals into grateful, receiving, childlike
people. It is a wonderful grace to receive!
Blessed
Kateri Tekakwitha, whose memorial we celebrate today, is another example of
God's grace revealed in childlike simplicity. When Kateri was four, a smallpox
outbreak devastated her tribe. The disease took the lives of her parents and
brother. Kateri survived, but was left with scars and impaired vision. The
roots of Kateri's Christian faith began early with her mother's teachings.
Later, as a young woman, Kateri was baptized. Like God's grace that is revealed
to the vulnerable, but not the wise and strong, she dedicated herself to
teaching prayers to children and caring for the elderly and sick. She clung to
a faith that Jesus today describes as faith revealed to the childlike.
We
have been made God's children by baptism. Our challenge is that we must respond
to Him as children with their openness, their trust and their simplicity. We
come to a deep understanding, not by our own efforts, but by the grace of God. That
grace is granted to those who are childlike.
Father,
we look to You for mercy, forgiveness, wisdom and life. Hear our prayer through
Jesus Christ, Your Son.