Humility and Gratitude

May 2, 2021 Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year B) Readings for Today

Video “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5 What a great little reminder...“Without me you can do nothing.” At first, hearing this may hurt.  It may hurt our pride, and we may react to this idea negatively.  Is it really true?  Can we really do nothing without God?  Obviously the answer to that is “Yes.”  Jesus does not lie.  We can do nothing without God in our lives. In fact, if God were to forget us for one moment, we would cease to exist.  Even our very existence depends upon God continuing to will that we exist.  And as for doing good, making a difference, having a productive life, etc., we can do nothing good without God’s grace. Though this may be hard to hear at first, we should ponder it regularly.  And if we do ponder it and embrace this truth, two things will happen in our souls.  First, we will grow in humility.  Humility is the most important virtue in which we can grow.  It’s been referred to as “the mother of all virtues.”  This is because from this virtue, all other virtues flow.  Humility means we realize that God is everything and that we need Him with a 100% need.  This humble truth will enable us to seek God in all things and to invite Him deeply into every part of our lives. A second thing that will happen in our souls when we realize that we can do nothing without God is that we will grow in gratitude.  As we see that God is everything AND we begin to see that He provides us with constant grace in our lives, our only appropriate response will be “Thank you!”  We will be grateful to God for everything because we will realize that everything that is good is a gift from Him. Reflect, today, upon these truths of humility and gratitude and allow them to sink in.  As you do, allow these virtues to grow to greater fruition in your life. Lord, I do believe that I can do nothing without You.  Help me to believe this with an even greater conviction and, as I do, help me to grow in humility and gratitude.  Jesus, I trust in You.