We need to stop erasing our faults and be open to them

It has been stated that “you learn how to recover from falling by falling!”

It is precisely by falling off the bike many times that you eventually learn what balance feels like. The skater pushing both right and left eventually goes where he or she wants to go.

Trying and Studying are the humble words of a new season of school for all of us. People who have never allowed themselves to fall are actually off balance, while not realizing it at all. That is why they are so hard to live with.

We cannot each start at zero, entirely on our own, and learn first fundamentals for life. Life is too short and there are just plenty of mistakes we need to make and some fallings. They help us how to learn from that fall and that mistake that order, predictability and coherence are important but not always there for us and so we need to learn to get up and try again. That is why every pencil has an eraser. We may not need the eraser every time, but some may every third, fifth or tenth time.

Cesar Milan, the “Dog Whisperer” says that dogs and people cannot be peaceful or teachable if they have no limits set to freedom and emotions. All are actually happier and more successful when they live and act with limits or boundaries.

The book of Sirach, our first reading for Sunday, states, “Ancient wisdom insists that the more humble we are, the greater we are.” In this week’s Gospel of Luke, Jesus presents his own version of table manners and that is to welcome all people just as Pope Francis has been challenging us all this Jubilee Year of Mercy. Jesus and Pope Francis are saying that Gospel Values and our society values are not the same in regard to humbly and hospitably being open to all.

As we begin a new month and soon a new season, we take the challenge of falling and even of a lower spot in living and acting with others. Indeed, we make others great through our service, love, forgiveness and care for them. It is not a mistake to be number two or to have to erase yourself and put your name lower on a list.

Think about the pompous preacher, who concluded his sermon one Sunday by pulling himself up to full stature and stating to the congregation, “If God were to strike every liar dead, you know where I would be?”

He lets the people come to their own conclusion, which has most of them smiling at the thought of the preacher being struck dead, and then he says, “I would be preaching to an empty church.”

The congregation could only think of the preacher lying and the preacher could only think of their lying. No one focused on their own lying!

We are called this week to be open to knowing our faults, sins and failings and work on them, not noticing them in others, and get up and try to be better ourselves; to learn by humility and hospitality to give, share and to live with all!

God makes a home for all, and asks us to be open to doing the same, not judging anyone but ourselves.

We are to even give ourselves another chance and be willing to know that both we and God can erase a fault.