All Is Grace! Love is not Boastful!

I was once chided by a psychiatrist friend for saying, "I'm not smart enough to be a parent." 

He responded saying, "I've heard you denigrate your intellect more than once." 

I replied, "You're not smart enough to do what you do either. It's only by the grace of God." I could have added, "And what you do has the potential to damage a lot more people. [He had a large practice.] I only have five children."

What I was trying to say, and perhaps expressing badly, is that all is grace. None of us is smart enough to do the least thing except by the grace of God. 

And think of the massive potential damage those in authority can do. The more responsibility they have, the more they can scandalize and cause others to sin. Parents can damage their children and all of us do if we're honest. We're all sinners and, as scripture says, "The sins of the parents are visited on the children." But our little church is limited in size. Think of the massive congregations of people like the mega-churches of Protestants, rabbis in their synagogues, the Muslim imams, and large Catholic parishes. 

And think of all the damage teachers, counselors, politicians, judges and lawyers, etc. can do. Some of them engage in their scandal with enthusiasm and delight. How much they will have to answer for!

Have you ever received bad advice? 

Of course you have!

Perhaps you trusted the wisdom of the priest who told you in confession that using contraceptives was up to you. Maybe a doctor or counselor said you had a good reason to kill your unborn baby. And then you embraced a mortal sin excusing it by saying, "Father or Dr. God said it was okay." Think of all the school counselors encouraging children's gender confusion and telling them to keep it a secret from their parents while they give them breast binders or take them to the transgender closet.

Do any of us have the wisdom to avoid all the pitfalls of the world, the flesh and the devil without the grace of God? No! Isn't it a tragic error to think we have the intelligence to outsmart the demon angels seeking our ruin? Good grief! I can't figure out some simple internet actions. Am I smart enough to argue with Satan. Hell no! (And I mean that literally.) It's a job for Jesus, Mary, my guardian angel, St. Michael and our patron saints. I hope to learn in their classroom how to navigate the shoals in the midst of the storm and make good decisions to steer my little barque to a safe harbor. We all need a good harbor master.

I 'm still working through 1 Corinthians 13 and have reached the point that in various translations says love is not boastful or haughty or arrogant. It doesn't put on airs. I tend not to be outwardly boastful, but do I have an inner haughty spirit that claims credit for the good I do without recognizing the truth that it is all thanks to grace? All our gifts come from God. We didn't do anything to deserve them. We owe them all to God and his goodness. And who's to say some of those things we consider gifts and talents aren't tempting us to pride and arrogance? The solution, of course, is to learn humility. But it doesn't come easily. Today, Lord, let me embrace every opportunity to be humbled and see any insult, hurt, etc. as a gift of grace and an invitation to humility.

May Jesus Christ be praised.