(pertaining to today’s second reading: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10)
Religious observance is sometines little more than a game folks are playing. They go to church on Sunday in the same spirit they go to the gas station, the supermarket, and the dry cleaners. When it’s time to go, you do it. Then you move onto the next task, checking the last one off of the list as finished – until next time.
Paul offers a word to the spiritually mature, not to the dabblers in ritual who seek a spiritual tip or two to jumpstart their week and make their other activities prosper. The mature are looking for a wisdom that won’t necessarily profit them in the world that’s passing away. Paul approaches the subject of divine mystery, which isn’t the kind that gets solved in the last chapter, as in a detective novel. The Holy Mystery is that which excites awe and wonder. It invites us to bow down and acknowledge our smallness in all humility. This mystery doesn’t just put us in our place. It puts everything in place, prioritizes our existence. You can’t check this kind of religion off your list. (Alice Camille)
As you are able within your physical limits, bow down: incline your head, knee, or fully prostrate yourself.
What does this gesture teach you about humility?
