In a world of political correctness and oversensitivity to worldly and humanistic things, we tend to focus on ourselves and what we would like instead of being considerate of others. People get jealous because they do not have what other people seem to have, hence becoming pitiful, sad, and resentful of others. That attitude comes out in negative ways, too, because we have become very sensitive to our selfish needs but insensitive and unaware of other people’s. We do not have a problem with letting other people know our dissatisfactions and how we feel, but we have not taken the time to really understand, care, and be compassionate toward others. We have lacked emotional maturity and are quick to belittle someone instead of being little in the eyes of God.
There is a fine line, but a big difference, between being little, simple, and childlike versus belittling other people because we are too self-centered and only worrying about our own good. It seems to be easier with the latter attitude instead of the first and foremost attitude of what it means to be children of God. In order to have the genuine simplicity and purity of heart, we need to humble ourselves, allowing God to possess, overtake, and guide our way of life. His commandments need to form us deep from within, humbling and inviting us to change our ways in order to imitate His love and to emulate His virtues and qualities of sacrificial, self-giving, and genuine love for others.
This life of holiness begins with what we have listened to and received from prayers, recognizing the beautiful signs and wondrous works of the Lord in creation, in our life, and among us. We then realize that the Gospel, the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ, and its power speak through us by the way that we live our lives. We are called to make the Gospel alive, instead of simply treating it as written words in a book, as we live this universal call to holiness. When we internalize and pray the Sacred Scriptures and allow the living words of God to permeate, transform, and guide our words and actions, we come to realize that we are living and doing what we are called to do naturally and supernaturally as His children.
The saints taught us that in our nothingness and total dependency on God, we share the spiritual wealth that comes from Him, the wealth that this world can never understand or obtain by its own powers or manipulations. By our total dependence on the Almighty, we are able to be comfortable with one another without being bogged down by conflicts, disputes, enmities, vanity, pride, or the desire to manipulate or dominate others. These heroic men and women of faith spoke much about living the Beatitudes as ways to personalize the Christocentric message and personal invitation of Christian discipleship, so we can show the world that is still too occupied with petty interests and manipulations that there is true freedom found in faith. When the heart of prayer is moved to the service of one another, free from the tarnishes of selfish worries, that is when we are able to see and reflect God in our midst.
We continue to be who we are, carrying on what the Master has done in His own life, even though our words and actions might not always be welcomed and accepted with joy. However, the saints remind us that our true joy is found in the Lord as we are able to participate in His providential care for the people. We are the people of hope — hope in Him — so our joy cannot be diminished by the apparent trials that are in front of us. Our love and devotion to God are clearly seen and purely received when we generously give ourselves and allow His gifts to be at work in and through us. Our prayers, words, and actions then become the intimate expressions of who we really are.
Too many times, we have let our words and actions dictate, control, and become inconsiderate manifestations of our egocentric desire to be in control. Nowadays, it seems to be so easy to attack, put down, and belittle someone for being unjust, insensitive, intolerant, or uncaring because we are somehow better than they are. We can hide behind the false facade of political correctness, inclusion, and sensitivity to pontificate our own desire to have things our way.
Nonetheless, we have become extremists in attacking, putting down, and belittling those who do not share our typical “values” or concerns. We immediately condemn, shame, and guilt others who are not like us instead of being humble, patient, loving, compassionate, and willing to learn, accept, and grow from the creative tensions and opportunities. At the end of the day, it is easier to belittle instead of being little in our way of life!
Nonetheless, our God is very considerate and attentive. He notices and sees the little things that we do because He understands and knows our hearts! No matter how much we try to sugarcoat, package, and appear to be someone else, we cannot lie to Him. The Almighty sees our hearts and wants us to respond to that genuine love by how we choose to live, so that our words and actions are not pretentious, self-centered, or dismissive of other people. Therefore, I would like to invite you to pray, reflect, and choose a beatitude to put into practice this week.
How can you and I take on a small, personal, intimate, and simple attitude of Christian discipleship in our very own lives? How can we live as disciples of Christ Jesus by embracing what He has taught and enlivened with His very own life? How can we choose the Christocentric values instead of what the world is trying to tell us to be? How can we have purity and simplicity of heart in how we choose to live our lives so that Christ’s attitude and way of love become our very own?
If God is not with us in prayer, our words and actions become self-serving and are prone to humanistic manipulations. If faith is not enlivened in and through us, it becomes very easy to build a society or agenda that simply serves our needs instead of the higher calling. If the divine life is not in us, we cannot truly become life-giving and substantially nourishing in words and actions. We have to ask ourselves, then, who are we sharing when we encounter another person? Which life are we radiating and imitating — ours or the Lord and His saints? Are our lives pointing people to a higher reality, or do we remain mundane (worried, anxious, envious, frustrated, and manipulative)?
Therefore, I would like to end this reflection by inviting everyone to live and embrace the Blessed Mother’s attitude in understanding, living, and simplifying our personal call of Christian discipleship. May we imitate her fiat with personal faith, firm hope, and loving charity to all so that those who come to encounter us can see that God is living in and through our lives. Let us dare to love, to live, and to believe like our Blessed Mother, who chose to do little things with great love, perseverance, and self-giving love.
I Thirst (John 19:28) with Father Khoi 