Yesterday I crossed paths with a particular homeless woman who I mentioned in a previous blog post. Again I'll call her "Catherine."
When I spoke with Catherine yesterday, she told me that months ago she had had cancer. One day she was being seen by a doctor, who was discussing with her how she had cancer. The next time she saw a doctor, she was informed that she had been cured of the cancer. No trace of the cancer remained.
Catherine attributes her miraculous healing to God. There was no other explanation. The doctors could not supply a medical reason for her inexplicable recovery. Accordingly, Catherine testifies that God cured her.
After Catherine had related to me how she had been miraculously cured, I recalled a man I knew who did not make a similar proclamation after narrowly missing death at a relatively young age. He worked as a professional and earned a salary well into the six figure range. At one point, he entered the hospital for an operation. Due to complications during the surgery, he nearly died when he was still in the hospital. As I later listened to him speak about how he had almost passed away, I heard him say nothing about God saving him from death.
I heard about the saving power of God from a homeless woman who someone else once described to me as a drug addict. From a high-earning professional, I heard nothing about how God delivers us from near destruction.
Why do we hear about the remarkable saving power of God from someone living in the bushes, who society neglects and casts aside? Jesus spoke of revelation to the unassuming when his disciples first heard His message. At one point, followers of Jesus returned from a mission to proclaim His message, and they rejoiced that devils submitted to them when they invoked His name. He told them not to rejoice that the spirits were submitting to them, but rather that their names were written in Heaven. He then continued, "filled with joy by the Holy Spirit," and said, "I bless you, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it has pleased you to do."*
Why would it please God to reveal his glory to those whom society rejects and counts as worthless? As Saint Paul explains, "God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God."**
To see the glory of God, we need not go and live in the bushes. However, God calls us all to have humility, however we are serving Him. If we have no humility, God will correct us. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.*** How will the humble be exalted? God gives grace to the humble.**** God gives the humble the grace and strength they need to endure what they are undergoing. God also responds to the prayers of those who are humble. A contrite, humbled heart, o God, You will not scorn.*****
When someone who is afflicted is humble, he truly cries out to God. A humble person sincerely pleads with God to respond to her prayer.
A humble person admits that only God can help her. Someone who is humble knows that only God can cure her.
And so a humble person prays earnestly to God, offering prayers acceptable to God, since they are rooted in the knowledge that only God can save her. In proper relation to God, admitting that one is nothing without God, one petitions God with due deference.
Properly acknowledging and glorifying and adoring and praising God, such a person is heard and answered by God. Having emptied himself of all delusions that he can rely on himself, such a truly humble person is able to be filled with the saving power of God. Showing genuine humility, such a person is exalted by God, is given the grace to withstand intense trials, is miraculously cured, confounding those who are wise.
Those who cannot understand such miracles refuse to humble themselves. Those who grasp the meaning of such miracles realize that God is the only source of such wonders. In this way no one can brag to God. To God be all glory, praise and honor, now and forever. Amen.
* Luke 10:17, 20, 21
** 1 Corinthians 1:27-29
*** Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14
**** 1 Peter 5:5
***** Psalm 51:19
When I spoke with Catherine yesterday, she told me that months ago she had had cancer. One day she was being seen by a doctor, who was discussing with her how she had cancer. The next time she saw a doctor, she was informed that she had been cured of the cancer. No trace of the cancer remained.
Catherine attributes her miraculous healing to God. There was no other explanation. The doctors could not supply a medical reason for her inexplicable recovery. Accordingly, Catherine testifies that God cured her.
After Catherine had related to me how she had been miraculously cured, I recalled a man I knew who did not make a similar proclamation after narrowly missing death at a relatively young age. He worked as a professional and earned a salary well into the six figure range. At one point, he entered the hospital for an operation. Due to complications during the surgery, he nearly died when he was still in the hospital. As I later listened to him speak about how he had almost passed away, I heard him say nothing about God saving him from death.
I heard about the saving power of God from a homeless woman who someone else once described to me as a drug addict. From a high-earning professional, I heard nothing about how God delivers us from near destruction.
Why do we hear about the remarkable saving power of God from someone living in the bushes, who society neglects and casts aside? Jesus spoke of revelation to the unassuming when his disciples first heard His message. At one point, followers of Jesus returned from a mission to proclaim His message, and they rejoiced that devils submitted to them when they invoked His name. He told them not to rejoice that the spirits were submitting to them, but rather that their names were written in Heaven. He then continued, "filled with joy by the Holy Spirit," and said, "I bless you, Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children. Yes, Father, for that is what it has pleased you to do."*
Why would it please God to reveal his glory to those whom society rejects and counts as worthless? As Saint Paul explains, "God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God."**
To see the glory of God, we need not go and live in the bushes. However, God calls us all to have humility, however we are serving Him. If we have no humility, God will correct us. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.*** How will the humble be exalted? God gives grace to the humble.**** God gives the humble the grace and strength they need to endure what they are undergoing. God also responds to the prayers of those who are humble. A contrite, humbled heart, o God, You will not scorn.*****
When someone who is afflicted is humble, he truly cries out to God. A humble person sincerely pleads with God to respond to her prayer.
A humble person admits that only God can help her. Someone who is humble knows that only God can cure her.
And so a humble person prays earnestly to God, offering prayers acceptable to God, since they are rooted in the knowledge that only God can save her. In proper relation to God, admitting that one is nothing without God, one petitions God with due deference.
Properly acknowledging and glorifying and adoring and praising God, such a person is heard and answered by God. Having emptied himself of all delusions that he can rely on himself, such a truly humble person is able to be filled with the saving power of God. Showing genuine humility, such a person is exalted by God, is given the grace to withstand intense trials, is miraculously cured, confounding those who are wise.
Those who cannot understand such miracles refuse to humble themselves. Those who grasp the meaning of such miracles realize that God is the only source of such wonders. In this way no one can brag to God. To God be all glory, praise and honor, now and forever. Amen.
* Luke 10:17, 20, 21
** 1 Corinthians 1:27-29
*** Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14
**** 1 Peter 5:5
***** Psalm 51:19
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