Dear People Whom God Loves,
We continue with the story that Jesus told about the Pharisee and the tax collector who went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee prayed by thanking God that he was not like the rest of men, thieves, rogues, adulterers, or this tax collector. He then recites all his virtues.
The tax collector stands in the back and wouldn’t even look up. His prayer is: O Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. Jesus says that the tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified.
The second journey of life is largely about letting go. Letting go of self-images, attitudes, and un-discerned beliefs is extremely difficult. We have built a psychological wall around them. We have not allowed light to shine into their depths and to reveal these flaws. It is no wonder that we resist letting go.
This can be especially challenging when we are living (we think) correctly. We are so sure that we are right that we resist listening to any information that suggests we might be a little bit wrong. It is hard for us to surrender to mystery. When we are unwilling to listen with openness, it is a sign that we have swallowed our convictions whole and have not digested them. Digesting them means that we have looked at our convictions from various angles. When we have done this, we do have convictions. But because they are now ours (and not convictions that have been fed to us) we are not afraid to listen to other points of view because our convictions are at a level that do not need our fearful protection. Indeed, our convictions will be enriched. I must confess that I do this very poorly.
This is why I see sin as filled with grace, (this doesn’t mean that it is good to sin) because the infinite mercy, compassion, and love we name God can draw us or push us into facing our sin. This allows us to begin to let go of our conviction that we control our salvation by our own efforts.
Realizing that salvation is the free gift from Love (God), we are humbly grateful. Love (God) even helps us to do our small part. I remember
St. Thomas Aquinas writing about out free will. He wrote: God moves us freely. God helps our free choices.
As this sinks into us more deeply, it becomes more difficult to believe that we are more worthy than someone else. More next time.
Smile, God Loves You,
Father Clay
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