Whoa on the Woes! Count the Hairs instead!
- Monica Walton
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
Last week's Daily Mass Readings from the Gospel of Luke contained a lot of woe! On Monday and Tuesday, we heard Jesus speak of the people as being an evil generation, and He called them fools. On Wednesday and Thursday, He literally cried out "Woe!" to them multiple times! (Read Luke, Chapter 11)
Woe to you Pharisees! (2x) Woe to you! Woe also to you scholars of the law! (2x) Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets whom your fathers killed.
Whoa!!! That's a lot of Woe!
I was thinking throughout the week of how easily we could put other groups' names in those statements: Woe to you Politicians! Woe to you World Leaders! Woe to you Abortionists! Woe to you Suppressors! Woe to you, etc. etc. etc.
Then, I had to turn my pointing finger around and wonder what Jesus would say to me…. How devastating it would be to hear Jesus say Woe to me! So I had to sit with that for a while. We all have things that we think, say, and do that might cause Jesus to say, Woe to you! That's not yours to judge, correct, or fix!
On Friday, we moved into Luke, Chapter 12, and heard Jesus teach us to recognize our own hypocrisy — the kind we use to trample over others, and the kind that we keep hidden underneath and on the inside. He also gives us Hope and Courage, reminding us Who made us and who He made us to be. We (every human) are important to God's plan. Every little piece of us matters. Nothing about us is insignificant, and we can use what we have for good or evil.
Jesus uses the image of one of the most common and widely distributed birds on Earth, a sparrow, to show how important we are to Him. (Luke 12:6-7)
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
God knows the minutiae of who we are and what we think, say, and do. He knows every tiny detail about us, inside and out. He knows the exact number of hairs on our heads, and He knows the weight of our sin because He carried our sin to Calvary. Still, He loves us completely and is so glad we exist!
We can think of counting the number of individual hairs on someone's full head of hair the next time any doubt of God's love creeps in.
One of my favorite places to be is by the water, especially on the seashore. I like to take my ponderings and sit with them there. It is there that I can empty the clutter from my mind and let it ride away with the wind. It is there that I can breathe in the fresh air, hear the waves, and feel the sun and gentle breeze. It is one of the ways that I know I am loved by Him.
I imagine a journey with The Great I Am God.
Looking out at the endless horizon, I walk along the shore watching the water travel in and out and in. The great waves rush up onto the shore, then back out again. The longer I watch, my breathing begins to slow and match the rhythm of the waves. I start thinking about the power of that flow and God's power over my life. I look back to find my footsteps across the dry sand to see how far I've traveled.
But all I see are deep impressions in the sand, all looking the same, all caused by the weight of what we carry—literally and figuratively. There's no distinguishing mine from others' footprints. I wonder how that could be since the people who walked before me are very different from me.
The only distinguishable prints are from the small birds that also visited this beach. They carry a light load, only what is theirs to carry.
I walk closer to the water and take a deep breath. I feel small in front of this expansive view, although we share the same Creator. But I also feel relaxed and loved by Him here. An image of myself covered in barnacles comes to mind, as if I put on special eyewear. The barnacles are made of past worries, regrets, sin, and shame, most of which only I can see. They have clung to me for so long, and they are indeed heavy. I sit with them for a while longer, until I know that I am finally ready to let go. I surrender myself to God's power and fall into the deep. Will I sink or swim?
To my surprise, I do neither. I give Him full control of my life, so I am gently carried on top of the waves. This is freedom like I have never felt before. Eventually, I begin floating back to shore. As I follow the rhythm, it matches my heartbeat. I feel lighter and lighter. Finally, I gently return to shore. When I stand up again, I realize that the barnacles have been stripped away. My mind and heart feel clear again — a fresh start. I hum a song of praise as I walk along the water's edge.
The sun is setting and casting lovely shadows all around.
I look back to the place I landed and notice my footprints in the wet sand.
Here they are distinctly mine and no one else's.
I realize the only place to see my truest impressions on the earth is when I get close enough to God and let His love and mercy wash over me.
So when we start hearing and feeling too many woes — let's close our eyes and take a breath. Hear Jesus say, "I see you. Even the hairs on your head have been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows."
As we move into a new week, we begin with Sunday's Readings, which spoke about the importance of persistent prayer. Moses kept his hands raised up, and when he grew weary, his friends stood at his side and helped him continue praying. (Exodus 17:8-13) Saint Paul advises us to be persistent, whether it is convenient or inconvenient. (2Timothy 3:14-4:2) And Jesus says God will see to it that justice is done for those who call out to Him day and night. (Luke 18:1-8)
We are at our best when we carve out time to pray daily.
Pray with persistence, we are aligning ourselves with our Creator God.
Like many others, I include the Canticle of Zechariah (The Benedictus) in my morning prayers. One verse that calls out to me every day is: "In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace."
I think of this as I walk to Church, on the beach, around my neighborhood, and out in the community. He is guiding my feet into the way of peace. He is guiding your feet into the way of peace.
Are we spreading His peace everywhere we go?
It's worthy of prayer and reflection!
So many great points of reflection, Monica. I also love the Canticle of Zechariah though I haven't prayed it for a while. This will be added back into my daily prayers, as will your thoughtful reflection question, "how am I spreading God's peace everywhere I go". For sure, we help each other pray. Just the reminder that we are in God's loving hands shores up my heart this day. Thank you!
Monica I love this. I can picture your barnacles, and especially you being washed clean, letting go of all that worry and "woe". Beautifully described!!