Friday after Ash Wednesday - February 28

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Isaiah 58:1-9 Matthew 9:14-15

“A broken, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn.”

Why is it that I need to be humbled? It might be that in my 6th decade
I have fi lled my soul with so much that doesn’t refl ect God’s will that I
have no room to accept God’s love. A glass that is already full can accept
nothing more.

I think it is easy to understand that when we sin, we choose to deny God’s
love and need to be humbled. Whenever I am prideful it seems God has
a way of letting me know it is not all about me. More subtly, I wonder
about those areas of life that are not necessarily sinful, but when “wrongly
ordered,” can distance me from God. In my case I think of my family. It is
the most important thing in my life. But really, should it be? Here is my
reasoning. If my family is at the pinnacle of my thoughts and actions then,
in my arrogance, I work toward goals that will advance the material and
or emotional well-being of my family. This “disordered” prioritizing makes
possible the perversion of God’s love.

As an example, Tony Soprano on the HBO series Sopranos, loved his family
but his love was perverted in that he left no room for God. On the other
hand, if I humbly accept God’s love fi rst, then I can refl ect that love onto
my family and they in turn will feel the embrace of our loving Creator. This
is an infi nitely better outcome, and makes me a better father and husband.
When love of others is properly ordered after the love of God it becomes
a refl ection of the eternal Truth expressed in Christ. Otherwise, if my love
is improperly ordered, there will be no room for God’s perfect love. The
solution is to remain humble, accepting God’s perfect love so that I can
become a refl ection of God’s love to others. For this is the reason we exist.

Q: Today, pray that the Holy Spirit will open your heart to accept God’s love with
humility and gratitude so you can refl ect that love to others.

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