Friday - piety and humility

Prayer:  Lord,  we pray for the power to be gentle;  the strength to be forgiving; the patience to be understanding; and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding to what we believe to be right.  May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred.  We pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world seemingly bound by violence.  We pray for a new world where fear shall no longer lead men to commit injustice, nor selfishness make them bring suffering to others.  Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace,  praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfil the destiny for which we and all in this world prayer.  Amen.   #227  Oxford Book of Prayer

Read St. Luke  11:  43

Woe to you Pharisees for you love the best seats in the synagogue and the huge greetings in the marketplaces.  Jesus is stating here that the Pharisees have forgotten their piety and their humility.  The Pharisees should not be saving the best seats in the synagogue for themselves.  The Pharisees should not be seeking out huge greetings in the marketplaces for themselves. 

What is piety and humility?   Piety is a special gift given by the Holy Spirit.   One’s soul is filled with the longing for loving God with their whole being.    Can one see piety in others?   Sometimes but piety is not a visual gift.  Piety is in our hearts.  Jean Calvin strongly stated that piety was something we had to work on daily through prayer and reading of the Bible and asking for forgiveness.

Humility  is a life long journey in getting rid of our old selves and seeking the love of God.   Humility is not easy at all.  In fact both piety and humility are down right difficult to do but something for us to strive toward so that we grow in our love of God.   Piety and Humility always put God first and ourselves last.    

So how can we know if we,  or others, are filled with piety and humility?   The outward signs are the fruits of the Holy Spirit that St Paul mentions in Galatians 5: 22 --  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.   

Prayer:  Divine Healer,  may we live with the inward and the outward signs of Your Holy Spirit. Grant us love,  joy,  peace, patience,  kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control so that You can use us to renew the hearts of the faithful and those who still live in unbelief to Your glory and goodness.  Amen.