Mother Teresa used to say the fruit of Silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is Faith; the fruit of Faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace. Last week together we reflect on the importance of silence and recollection. Today I want to talk briefly about another important point in the spiritual life: humility. In the Gospel we just hear a wonderful and yet unusual story of a woman from Canaan[1] She explains of a terrible misfortune in her own life: Her daughter was possessed by a demon. After the Lord heard her, the Gospel amazingly says that Jesus did not say a word in answer to her[2].
How many times has this happened to us? We beseech God for help, we tell Him of a terrible sorrow, difficulty, loss, or injustice and, perplexingly, He answers us NOT A WORD. The language that God often uses when He speaks to us personally is the language of silence. It is a language that must obtain a particular response from us if we desire to continue our conversation with God: humility and patient perseverance. Often, God allows us a period of waiting to show ourselves and others how we react and what we do in the face of difficulty, for it is only in adversity that virtue will be made manifest.
This may sound too obvious and too silly but is a reality: God loves us and because of this love He makes us wait. The priests have to preach this many times, forgive me if I sound repetitive, but this is essential. God says my ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts[3] the way to God, if we really wish to know Him, is down. The word Canaanite literally means “humility.” So, this Canaanite woman, or woman of humility[4], after receiving the silence of the Lord, perseveres in her requests, as an image of faith and constancy. Could we do the same?
My brother, my sister, whatever we may encounter in our life, if we can humbly meet it with a certainty that God loves us, that God wills our salvation and that somehow He is in control of everything (even the bad stuff) then we will be able to receive the gift of humility that enables us to have our prayers answered before God, like the Canaanite woman.
When we are crushed and when it seems that sorrow after sorrow and difficulty after difficulty fall upon us, we must persevere in our dialogue with the Lord. Let me say it again: When we are crushed and when it seems that sorrow after sorrow and difficulty after difficulty fall upon us, we must persevere in our dialogue with the Lord. It is only through a humble acceptance of the circumstances of our lives and a willingness to take responsibility for everything that has happened to us: all of our failures, misfortunes, and sorrows; it is only through this that we will be given the strength to overcome them, and through the mercy of God, to grow through them.
There are two things we must always be certain of: God loves us and He wills our salvation, always granting in our life those things that bring us closer to Him and to salvation. Injustices will certainly be present in our life and probably God will speak the great language of silence to us often however, if we can bow our heads, and persevere in the midst of humiliation, trusting in the love of God there will always be hope for us.
This morning, perhaps we can end this period of reflection with the beautiful prayer of Father Merton: MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my dangers alone[5] ■
[1] She represents in her person those who are not Jewish who would come to Christ.
[2] Sunday 14th August, 2011, 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Readings: Isaiah 56:1, 6-7. O God, let all the nations praise you!—Ps 66(67):2-3, 5-6, 8. Romans 11:13-15, 29-32. Matthew 15:21-28 [St Maximilian Kolbe].
[3] Isaiah 55
[4] An image of going down.
[5] Father Thomas Merton, O.C.S.O. (1915- 1968) was a 20th century Anglo-American Catholic writer. A Trappist monk of the Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky, he was a poet, social activist and student of comparative religion. In 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood and given the name Father Louis. Merton wrote more than 70 books, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews, including his best-selling autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), which sent scores of disillusioned World War II veterans, students, and even teen-agers flocking to monasteries across the US, and was also featured in National Review's list of the 100 best non-fiction books of the century. Merton was a keen proponent of interfaith understanding. He pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama, the Japanese writer D.T. Suzuki, and the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh.
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