Word to the Wise
Friday, October 19, 2012 - Friday in the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
[Eph 1:11-14 and Luke 12:1-7]Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
Privacy in our western culture is regarded as a precious right. We are an individualistic culture and treasure our "space." However, our experience tells us that "privacy" is hard to define or, at times, to defend, especially when it is used as a way of masking behavior that is destructive not only of an individual but especially of a community. Recent media pieces have shown how much is known about us as individual consumers because of our use of computers or credit cards. It can be an unsettling feeling! How, then, can we understand Jesus' statement about the number of our hairs being counted? (Even if for some of us, me in particular, nature may make the job easier!) Does God have us all under "surveillance? Does God recognize "privacy?"
As a matter of faith, God knows us inside and out. Also as a matter of faith, God leaves us alone to make our own decisions. God's providence can "shape" those decisions through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and grace, but what God knows about us does remain "private" till the Last Judgment! Then we are confronted with our lives! Our hairs have been counted and we are indeed worth more than many sparrows. If I must live with God's knowledge of me, "warts and all," (including the hairs on my head), it is tremendously consoling and encouraging to know that this is in love beyond all telling. AMEN