Mar 14 | Saturday

It’s simply no good comparing ourselves to others. We can inspire and instruct one another - even depend on one another - but to judge the state of our soul based on what another person is doing is futile.

I remember a priest, years ago, speaking of this in a homily, saying, “Imagine your soul is a piece of glass that you want to clean, because it’s got smudges and streaks. If you hold it up to a candle, you may think you’ve got it pretty well clean. But if you hold it up to a light bulb, you’ll see there’s still more work to do. Now hold that same piece of glass up to the sun for the truest indication of its state.”

Religious pharisees pray to God by comparing themselves to others. But let us (you and me) commend ourselves to God in humility, trusting that His grace will complete the good work it has begun in us. In this is peace of soul: knowing that God’s love can always restore us, and that even our desire to please Him is pleasing to Him. +