Memorial of Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr
My husband and I are planners. We spend significant time making plans of all sorts – plans for our leisure time, plans for retirement, plans for projects around the house, plans to spend time with family and friends, the list goes on. We both value being proactive and planning ahead. In today’s first reading, James cautions us around our planning. I hear the Apostle exhorting us to remain humbly rooted in the Lord’s will as we make plans, orienting ourselves to God and not to the world.
James addresses people who are making plans, saying, “you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears. Instead you should say, ‘If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.’” I spent many years traveling to Honduras doing mission work. I was always struck by a consistent saying of the Honduran Christians, “Si Dios lo permite (if God permits it).” At the end of the day, I would say goodbye to the folks in the village to which we intended to return the next day. “See you tomorrow!” I would say. “Si Dios lo permite,” they would reply. “Let’s meet on Friday to discuss the project.” “Si Dios lo permite.” “You’re a really good student, you should think about going on for further education.” “Si Dios lo permite.” This consistent response always caught me off guard, especially when it punctuated things that were a pretty sure deal, like “I’ll see you tomorrow.” As I prayed our first reading, the Lord reminded me of the Hondurans’ simple, consistent, humility. They know that everything they have is a gift from God and every aspect of their lives is in God’s hands. They don’t have presumptions, assumptions, expectations, or plans apart from the will of God. They remain rooted in God’s will and seek it above all else.
Being anchored in God’s will today helps me to exercise godly discernment and make wise plans for tomorrow. Taking our first reading in its context, I hear James calling us to be careful not to become worldly in our decision-making. It’s easy to forget who we are and whose we are and make decisions according to popular opinion, cultural influences, expert advice, or simply our own best judgment. James calls us to humility and submission to God first. In Acts 17:28, we find our rootedness, “‘In him we live and move and have our being.’” From that location in Christ we view our world, our lives, our decisions, and engage in our planning. That perspective changes everything!
Our psalm response comes from Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs!” Let us pray for the grace today of poverty of spirit. From such a humble posture, we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven! With a Kingdom lens, we become better able to see our lives and situations as God does and to know and follow God’s will more perfectly. As I become more poor in spirit, I’m able to emulate my Honduran brothers and sisters and join them in their assertion, “Si Dios lo permite.”
As James reminds us, we have no idea what our life will be like tomorrow. One thing is certain, however: tomorrow God will be present and active in our lives because we belong to God. How might this certainty affect our decision-making today? The more we can submit to God’s will, the easier time we will have in managing our expectations, as well. Unmet expectations lead to such disappointment. As we come before God today, let us offer our plans to God humbly, with a genuine “If you will it, Lord.” Let us also come to the Lord with the decisions and plans we need to make, with a genuine “What is your will, Lord?” Let us approach tomorrow in the freedom of knowing that despite any uncertainty about our plans, we are certain of our belovedness in Christ and of God’s presence to lead and guide us. Amen!
Elizabeth Wells