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March 26, 2022“…for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:14
This passage from today’s Gospel reminds me of an experience I had in my early days in Religious life. As I crossed the threshold into the convent, I wanted to mark the moment with a special prayer. Under my breath I prayed, “Holy Spirit, help me to love others as you love them.” This prayer would be answered time and time again throughout my Novitiate. I was entering in the 7th group of a burgeoning Dominican community. There were 48 women all under one roof. You can imagine the clashes with the various personalities. But why do personalities clash? Is it because we are all women? Or is it because we, in our fallen human nature, tend to make ourselves greater than those around us? Isn’t it true if someone rubs us the wrong way, we are quick to place the blame on them without a thought to our own devices?
One of the duties I had was washing dishes after meals. One evening, a Sister corrected my washing procedure. My immediate gut reaction was obstinance. So much was I disturbed by this intrusion into “my way” that I stormed off, leaving the Sister calling out my name. I was a postulant. She was my novice, appointed to me to show me the ropes. Walking away from a duty shows a lack of discipline. This wasn’t lost on me when I cooled off and the Holy Spirit reminded me of my prayer. He reminded me, “who are you to dislike this Sister, when God Himself loves her very much?” I quickly set about to apologize and ask for her patience. In this small act of humility, I was able to exalt over the small annoyances that came my way. The bond with this guardian-novice grew, and our friendship enabled me to learn a great deal from her as the days wore on.
Asking the Holy Spirit to help me love as He loves was bold. What I learned quickly is Love does not put on airs, it is not self-righteous and does not despise everyone else. No, no, Love demands humility, and it is in this precious virtue, God is exalted in us.
