18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 2, 2020
In today’s Gospel we experience Jesus using his power to heal and nourish others. We are called to use our gifts to love and care for others. St. Francis de Sales expands on this:
We must love much to help others progress in holiness. Faith, hope and love form the basis of a generous heart. Generosity makes us trust in God’s goodness in us. Generosity has us proclaim that we can do anything in God who strengthens us. If commanded by God, a heart that is humble and generous can work miracles. While it is vigilant lest it fall, a heart that has confidence in God gives birth to a generous spirit. In simplicity of heart, a generous spirit sets to work with confidence that God will not fail to give it the power to realize its undertakings.
A generous heart does not rely on its own strength to undertake its tasks. It relies on the gifts God gives it. Thus, we must give great value to the gifts God has given us. They ought to be acknowledged, respected and honored, and used for God’s glory. There are some people who have a false humility that prevents them from seeing the good in themselves. True humility is generous and reduces what is false in us. Falseness demeans us and prevents us from esteeming our inherent excellence. Falseness does not wish us to consider the excellence of God in us. We must see that it is pride
to refuse the graces God desires to give us. God’s gifts obligate us to accept them.
Through esteeming God, the author of our excellence, we come to esteem the hidden spiritual gifts in ourselves and in our neighbor. Our love of self and others has its source in God’s love as exemplified in Jesus. Our Savior always preferred us to Himself and does so each time He nourishes us in the Eucharist. Similarly, He wants us to nurture our gifts by using them to love and serve Him with all our heart and all our power.
(Adapted from the writings of St. Francis de Sales, especially, Spiritual Conferences, I. Caneiro, Ed.)
