Reflection for Friday, October 14, 2011: 28th week in Ordinary Time.

Abstract

The last several days have been the ideal for clear fall days. The sky has been the azure blue, of which we sing in the Star Spangled Banner, only occasionally punctuated with some wispy white clouds flowing through. The dapples of sunlight gracefully dance in the woods behind our home as the breeze gently moves the trees and branches. The daytime temperatures are cool but far from cold, and the nights are perfect for snuggling in for a good sleep under warm covers. On my way to work, I see a few of the trees that put on the best fall colors are showing off their brilliant red, yellow and orange. It all provides a strong draw to an awareness of God's presence and prayers of thanksgiving for his gifts.||During this same period I have been taking some time to revisit a book that I read last summer, "The Gift of Being Yourself" by David Benner. The front page has a quote from Thomas Merton, "There is only one problem on which all my experience, my peace, and my happiness depend, to discover myself in discovering God. If I find Him I will find myself and if I find my true self I will find Him." The interdependence of knowing one's true self and knowing God is the premise of the book. It sounds simple, but not so.|As much as I do not want to see myself as being like the Pharisees in today's gospel, I am. I am not just trying to put on a good face for those around me, I am trying to fool myself. Ah, wouldn't it be easy to be like the trees in the fall, true to themselves and giving glory to God in their natural beauty. Obviously that would not be true to myself because God has given me the gift of being human, made in His image and likeness, much more complicated than the trees. With that gift, I have the potential for a relationship with Him that will fulfill all my wants and desires, if I can only figure out how to get out of the way. God's fall gifts help me to get the false self out of the way at least part of the time.