“Give Credit Where Credit is Due” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

“I gave you a land that you had not tilled

and cities that you had not built, to dwell in;

you have eaten of vineyards and olive groves

which you did not plant.”  (Joshua 24:13)

Piety

Suscipe, St. Ignatius of Loyola

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding,
and my entire will,
All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.
To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.
Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.

Study

Sometimes I wonder how the Suscipe prayer is prayed around the world.  If we lived in a place where we didn’t have so many material goods at our disposal, would it be easier to give God thanks for what we do have?  If we lived in a country that wasn’t a major player on the world stage, would it be easier to give God the glory due to God?  If we lived under a repressive government, what would we mean when we returned to God our freedom or liberty?  What if every day were a struggle to survive till the next? Would we be willing to return to God the precious gift of food and water that enables us to see another day?

One of my friends works with missionaries in remote areas of the world.  I once asked him if he thought the Gospel sounded like better news to people who have nothing to speak of than it does to those of us who have so much.  Without hesitation, he said, yes.

It seems to me that the danger in having so much is the ease with which we forget where it all comes from.  It’s so easy to say: What I have, I worked for.  I studied hard and went far in school.  I worked hard and won many promotions in my job.  I am the best soccer mom.  I have my family’s life all organized and under control.  I have good kids because I keep the communications channels open.  I…  I…  I…  I…

Joshua, nearing the end of his run as Israel’s leader and about to turn the reins over to the judges, reminds the people that they didn’t make it to the Promised Land on their own steam.  He goes all the way back to Abraham’s day in reciting all that God has done for and given to God’s people.  God says they are living on land they haven’t worked, in cities they never built, and on the fruit of vineyards and olive groves they never planted.  It’s all been gifts from God.

Action

It would be difficult to pray about giving something back if we didn’t acknowledge it as a gift from God in the first place.  Tonight, when you pray, look back over your day.  Look at whatever you feel good about during the day and would ordinarily take credit for.  Could it be that it isn’t just you who was responsible, but God who was behind it all?  

We might find that we’re much more recipients of God’s love and grace than authors of our own triumphs and successes.