Grace multiplied

He withdrew again to the mountain alone. (John 6:15)

Did you ever think that Jesus would let the crowd make him their king after he had multiplied the loaves and fishes? That may be what they wanted, but Jesus chose otherwise. He chose humility.

In today’s second reading, Paul tells the Ephesians and all of us, “Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received” (Ephesians 4:1). We tend to reduce this invitation to specific points of action: I have to do this good thing, and I have to avoid that temptation. But what if Paul were urging us to imitate Jesus first and foremost in our dispositions—especially in our humility?

True humility means trying to avoid building ourselves up in the eyes of others. It means trying not to judge people harshly or bring them down in hopes of elevating ourselves. It means even avoiding the pride that can pop up when other people remark on our humility! 

How can we learn from Jesus how to be meek and humble of heart? The answer may be found in the way we yield ourselves to God and let his grace shape our hearts and our minds. When we stop trying to earn God’s approval or achieve other people’s recognition and allow ourselves to be fed and strengthened by Jesus instead, grace multiplies—just as the loaves multiplied when Jesus offered them to his Father [emphasis mine]. Yielding to the Lord like this will open us to the grace we need to do those things we find hard to do on our own. It will keep us from promoting ourselves because we will be keenly aware of how much we owe the Lord.

Today, tell Jesus that you want his grace to help you view yourself a bit more humbly and view other people a bit more highly. Tell him that without grace, it is impossible to be humble. Ask him over and over again, and watch as he transforms your heart.

“Lord, give me the grace to be just as humble as you were the day you fed the five thousand.”

from wau.org