Tuesday of week 19 in Ordinary Time, year 2

Docility

Matthew 18:1-5,10,12-14 

The readings are about docility, i.e., the capacity to be taught.

Don't be hard-headed.  One thing I realized in my years of faith is that God cannot be put in a box.  He is not a set of beliefs.  One thing is sure - He always leads us to a better understanding about life and about Himself.

Let me point out the pattern.  Once we are taught the 10 commandments. But even the Jewish people who followed the 10 commandments to the letter were reprimanded by Jesus for giving more emphasis to it rather than on the spirit of the law.

Second instance - we were taught that if we pray hard and resolve hard, the Lord will grant us our prayers.  But again, things are not that simple.  If ever prayers are not granted, we come to realize that God is still hearing our prayers.

Third instance - we were taught to pray the usual prayers, but sometime in the future, no matter how hard we pray, it seems that we are not reaching out to God.  But we come to realize that even prayer is not a set of formula.  Even in the "dark night of the soul", we are to search deeply what God is telling us to do.

These things are teaching us to let go of ourselves and give more space for God.  Once we do this, we begin to see a new perspective of life.