The 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time | Sunday 28 August 2022

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Today is Sunday the 28th August, the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time.

Luke Parker sings, ‘In Quietness’. As you enter into prayer, you might like to remind yourself that this moment is between you and the Lord… you can be completely real in this place of quietness.

When I am down and on my knees

you are enough you're all I need

It's here you meet me

so I'll stay

In the stillness of your embrace

When I am down

and on my knees

with all that I am surrenduring

and in this moment face to face

in your presence Lord I will wait

In quietness I wait for you to speak

my spirit thirsty Lord, longing for you

and I'll wait Lord for more of you

my soul thirsts Lord for more of you

…

you break the silence

your voice it inspires

and I am in awe of your love

you bring a newness of life in its fullness

revealing the plans of your heart

you break the silence

your voice it inspires

and I am in awe of your love

you bring a newness of life in its fullness

revealing the plans of your heart

…

In quietness I wait for you to speak

my spirit thirsty Lord, longing for you

and I'll wait Lord for more of you

my soul thirst Lord for more of you

When I am down

and on my knees

In this moment Lord I will wait

Today’s reading is from the book of Ecclesiasticus.

Ecclus 3:17-20, 28-29

My child, perform your tasks with humility;

then you will be loved by those whom God accepts.

The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself;

so you will find favour in the sight of the Lord.

For great is the might of the Lord;

but by the humble he is glorified.

When calamity befalls the proud, there is no healing,

for an evil plant has taken root in him.

The mind of the intelligent appreciates proverbs,

and an attentive ear is the desire of the wise.

In many of the readings this week, we have been invited to notice where God is and what God’s like. Nathanael thought that he couldn’t be found in a dull town like Nazareth. The scribes and Pharisees, in their small religious practices, missed the bigger picture. Jews and Greeks alike couldn’t recognise God in someone who was publicly executed as a common criminal. You might start this prayer by asking to be able to recognise God, even when his appearance is unexpected.

The gift of humility, which this passage speaks of, is an excellent foundation for recognising the unexpected God. It means that my own ego, my concerns, don’t get in the way. Do you find yourself drawn to ask for this kind of humility?

This humility doesn’t deny or downplay your gifts and talents. Indeed, they are important to enable you to serve God as God wants. You are called, though, to recognise that those gifts and talents are indeed given to you by God, for a purpose. Which of your gifts and talents do you most want to thank God for today?

“An attentive ear is the desire of the wise”, this writer tells us. Listen attentively, then, as his words are read again.

Speak to God, finally, about your own desire to “perform your tasks with humility. Ask him for whatever you need to be able to do that better.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.