25 April 2016 - letting ourselves be loved

[ Today's Readings ]

So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time.
Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.

Help us to clothe ourselves in humility. We can only entrust you with all of our worries when we are humble enough to realize that you are God and we are not. We are not ultimately in control even though we act like everything depends on us.

The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:5-7).

This peace beyond understanding will only guard our hearts and minds if we are humble enough to cast our cares on you. It is a matter of being humble enough to let ourselves be loved. So help us to clothe ourselves with humility. Even the garment itself is something we are given. It is you yourself who wear it first.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (see Philippians 2:3-8).

You first entrust yourself to the Father's love just so that we can entrust ourselves to yours. It is this humility that allows you to come as close to us as you do. It lets you strip off your outer garments so that you can wash our feet while clothed with humility. You don't think, although you rightly could, 'I'm too good for this.' It is this very same humility which allows you to surrender your Spirit into the hands of the Father on the cross.

Teach us that the power is not within ourselves but in you. We can only resist the devil when we remain steadfast in this faith and don't fall back on our own resources. But when we trust you, Jesus, you give us amazing power to conquer all of the works of the enemy.

These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

This is the true grace of God in which we need to remain firm. It is this faith and grace which sustains us through our sufferings and unites us with our brothers and sisters throughout the world. We know that you yourself will "restore, confirm, strengthen and establish" us after we have suffered a little. We learn "the joyful shout".

Blessed the people who know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted.