Fr. Bill's Weekly Message for 6/15/97

Dear Parishioners:

I remember a time when I was quite young and I decided to make something special for my family. I have always had a fondness for cooking, so I decided to make some bread.

I got all the ingredients together. I sifted the flour, got out the yeast, mixed it with warm water; put in the flour, eggs, sugar; mixed it all together and put it in the oven. I ended up with baked bricks. Letting the dough rise was a step I forgot. The yeast had no time to work its wonder.

I think sometimes we are like that with God. God's grace is like the yeast in the dough. It is the leaven that makes it rise. We can rise so much higher than we think if we let God work through us like the yeast in the dough.

When we try to do all this by ourselves, we sell ourselves short. Left to our own devices, there is little we can do. Every one of us has many limitations and deficiencies.

I used to tell my students, "The more I learned, the dumber I got!" The more education and study I did, the more I discovered that there was so much more out there that I didn't know. If I were to leave it there, I would be making a big mistake.

God knows just how limited we are. He knows how awkward even the greatest poet or philosopher sounds. But He chooses and desires to use us nonetheless. He doesn't want us because we are the best for the job, but because He wants to choose me or you. God doesn't use the same standards as you or I.

God will give you and me all that is needed to live out these choices. He will never ask of us something we cannot handle. It may seem difficult for us at the time, but God will grant us the grace we need. It is in living out these invitations from God that we will find our self-respect that every human being needs. Self-respect is much more important than self-esteem. Self-esteem can be built on false ideas. (American children score low on international math tests, but score high when asked how they feel about it).

Self-respect is based on accomplishments and putting into practice those virtues that will allow me to see God's will being done in my life. It is the basis for humility because we begin to realize that life does not owe me, I owe life my best effort; I am part of a community and I have an obligation to contribute to it; I need God's grace to bring to fulfillment what is good in me.

God bless,

Fr. Bill




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