As a priest for 28 years, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel in several countries in Africa, India, Philippines, Germany and Bolivia. In the process of giving retreats and leading meetings for native clergy, my world expanded and I was stretched both emotionally and spiritually. Throughout it all, I had a hunger and longing to learn a second language besides my native English. I was very conscious of the subtle pride and egoism that exist in our culture that expect other people in the world to learn English, when we are unwilling to embrace their native tongues.
So, I always tried to learn some basic words and phrases in each country that I visited. Basic things like: "Hello." "Good Morning." "How are you?" "Thank you." "Where is the bathroom?" Sometimes I was more successful than others. Finally, I was gifted with the opportunity to attend language school in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where I built a foundation for speaking Spanish.
However, the most important realization I came to through all this experience is that if I just tried to speak a few words in the other's language, they were always most appreciative. No matter how stumbling my attempts might be, the mere fact of trying showed them that I respected them, valued them, and honored their culture. Then they were ready to accept me and share their life with me.
This set me wondering: Do you suppose that God is like that? Do you suppose that if I even make the most stumbling attempt to pray, to communicate with God, that God will honor that effort? I don't need to have the language of prayer down perfectly. I merely need to display my effort to honor, respect and value my relationship with God. Then God's response to me will be overwhelming and God will share the Divine Life with me. Wow, what a realization!
No comments:
Post a Comment