God's Plan Creates Dignity

God is Almighty!

God is ALL MIGHTY!!!

God does not need us to accomplish His work. God could just "do it all" without our help, but He doesn't. He doesn't because He wants us to participate with Him for our own human dignity.

These were the words of Fr. Brett Brannen, former Vocations Director of the Diocese of Savannah, and author of the book, To Save a Thousand Souls, as he gave his homily last week.

Fr. Brett went on to say that God accomplishes 99.9% of the work, and we accomplish about .1%.  "Okay, I probably am exaggerating a little,"  Fr. Brett admitted, "on our part."

Then he gave this analogy.

When he was a little boy, he used to love to "help" his mother make pound cake. He would sit up on the counter, stirring ingredients, licking the spoon, and making a huge mess. His mother didn't need his help, of course, but being the good mother that she was, not only let him, but welcomed him.  When his father came home from work, he would run into his arms and announce, "I helped Mama make the cake!"

And Daddy was so proud of his boy.

I have been mulling this over in my mind all week. God does not NEED my pitiful attempts to bring good to this hurting world. God has everything under control. Yet, He INVITES me to participate with Him, and ALLOWS me to "rise to the occasion" for the sake of my own dignity; for the sake of my own soul.

The way I see it, why wouldn't I want to RSVP to God's invitation if my own dignity is at stake?

I do have to add a bit of a disclaimer here. Yes, the very fact that I am made in the image and likeness of God gives me dignity in its own right. I don't have to "do good" to earn this dignity. However, God gives me the ability to become more and more like Him, as I become more and more one with His plan. This is called holiness.  "Be Holy, for I am Holy," says the Lord. (Lev. 11:44, 1Peter 1:16).


I  had a chance to witness this participation with God's Plan in action last night when a group of  us went out for dinner at a local restaurant. It was a drizzling, miserable kind of night. As we came up to the entrance, a man was standing outside the door under an overhang trying to stay dry. He held a sign in his hand, "Money for Food. God Bless." I felt sorry for him, but was not moved to do anything other than to smile and say hello.

A teenager in the group said, "God bless you," to the man as he entered the restaurant.

I felt a pinch in my conscience. Why didn't I think of that?

After dinner, we packed our doggie bags, paid our bills, and walked out into the drizzle. The man was still there holding his sign. I was in a hurry, so I walked past without a glance.

I turned to make sure we were all together, when I saw that same teenager standing next to the man, offering his doggie bag to him. The man took it with gratitude.

PINCH! OUCH!

I was filled with admiration for that teenager. And as I stood there in the drizzle fighting my own fear of being vulnerable, I realized that human dignity was raised not only in the giver and the receiver of that doggie bag, but also in all those who witnessed this act of kindness, goodness, and mercy. God was accomplishing His plan. That poor, hungry man participated in "The Plan" to bring out the goodness and compassion in that teenager. And, God allowed others to be there to witness "The Plan's" fruition. And there lies the dignity for me in this; to be witness to God's Plan.

Yes, God is Almighty.

And that is true whether I say so or not.