A humble and grateful life
The story is told about a parishioner who asked the priest the directions on how to go to Heaven. The priest’s simple answer was: “Turn right, and go straight.”
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In today’s Gospel (Luke 13: 1-9), the Lord reminds us that if we do not repent, we will perish, and if we do not bear fruits, we will be cut down. We are all called to live righteous and meaningful lives. We are all just passing by in this world. May we not scatter hurts and wrongdoings, rather may we leave behind lots of goodness, hope, and loving.
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We reap what we sow. Input equals output. We all can make a choice on how we live our lives. Other people can help us, give us a break, so to say, but in the end, it is we ourselves who make or break ourselves.
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The more we are humble, the less we tumble. A lot of people never get to live meaningful and fruitful lives because, they are so focused on themselves and so filled with pride. They spend their lives overthinking, overhurting, and overfighting.
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OVERTHINKING. Thinking is good, but overthinking is not, because it can lead us to spend our lives just thinking, and not living life at all. There are many things we cannot explain or truly understand, so this is where our faith comes in. We must learn to let go and let God, trust Him, and “lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) It takes humility to have faith. Without faith we could end up sleepless instead of having a good night rest.
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OVERHURTING. The heart is the seat of joy or pain. The heart is powerful, as it can lead us to “deep loving,” and also “deep hurts” beyond understanding. Heavy heart is a heart that is wounded and angry. This is where humility and forgiveness can give rest to a tired and heavily burdened person. It is not easy to forgive, but it is more difficult and tiresome to continue hurting and be burdened by revenge and ill feelings.
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OVERFIGHTING. To fight for one’s rights is part of our lives, but to live believing that one is always right, or better than others, is not only wrong, but burdensome as well. When we humbly accept that others have rights, and others can be right, too, then we end up living a life that is not stressful, vain, and proud. When we learn to stop, step back, and step aside, life takes on a new meaning, and we finally start growing.
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Gratitude is the cousin of humility. A humble person knows how to be grateful, and a grateful person is a humble person. May the Lord, help us live more grateful lives, and do away with unproductive and useless complaining, comparing, and blaming attitudes.
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STOP COMPLAINING. Focus on your blessings, not on what is missing. There will always be reasons to complain, but we can always instead choose to stop complaining about everyone and everything. Complaining is a useless, endless, and fruitless undertaking. Count your blessings!
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STOP COMPARING. Life is unfair. Be that as it may, we can still choose to focus not on what others have or don’t have. The “Desiderata” said it so well: “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater or lesser persons than yourself.” Instead of ranting about “fair share,” why don’t you just busy yourself with “sharing fair”?
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STOP BLAMING. A person who keeps blaming others (and even God) for his/her fate ends up living an angry, miserable, empty, and fruitless life. A blaming person ends up with a bag full of excuses, lies, and regrets. In life, as in tennis, blame not your racket nor the wind for every point lost or gained.
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Here is a beautiful prayer I want to share with you: Heavenly Father, please make my days useful, my nights restful, my home peaceful, and my efforts fruitful. Amen.
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As we journey through life, let us not forget God, and His commandment to love. Let us hold on to righteousness, and not be dismayed with the wrongdoings around us. Stay good. Be humble. Be a giver. God knows the score. God sees it all.
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, help us to live humble and grateful lives. Amen.
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