Before the LORD the whole universe is as a grain from a balance
or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth. Wisdom 11:22

For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made. Wisdom 11:24

O LORD and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit is in all things! Wisdom 12:2

It can be hard to accept our insignificance. In today’s Gospel, Zacchaeus is short and looked down on because of his status as a tax collector. His social level and physical stature however, do not prevent Jesus from accepting him. Zacchaeus is scared of his weakness of faith not just his height or marginalized profession. Nevertheless, Jesus specifically calls Zacchaeus from the crowd.

It is very difficult for me to be outdone, outsmarted, or outplayed by someone. Like Zacchaeus I am afraid of weaknesses – not just my physical or social inabilities. I am afraid of my spiritual insignificance. Wisdom, in today’s first reading, describes our universe as insignificant as a drop of dew falling to earth when compared to God. Why is this difficult for me to accept? Perhaps, God is so vast that I cannot comprehend the power and presence that God has and this eases my fear of being in competition with God. However, while I may not be comparing test scores or playing soccer against God, I do believe that there are times in which I am in struggles of power with God.

Accepting God’s plan for me is a struggle. When I know what is best for me, it is difficult not only to accept but to appreciate the course that God wants me to take. What is best for me may not be what is best for my family, my community, our world. While this selfish struggle can be difficult, Wisdom tells us that we should have faith in God and the plan God has established for us, “For you love all things that are, and loathe nothing that you have made.” God as a teacher allows me to assess the relationship between us and God. God is not out to get us by giving us trick multiple choice questions or by grading an essay in an antagonistic way. Why would God do this when God’s interest is in us succeeding, not just getting good grades, or passing the test, but graduating to eternal life?

It can be very difficult to believe that God is working for us and not trying to make things difficult or burdensome. Wisdom responds to this by saying that God cares for us because God’s “imperishable spirit is in all things!” God cannot be out to get us because He is with and in us. Why would God not love, have faith in, or care for God’s creation, of which he as the creator remains present? As the product of Jesuit education, Wisdom’s quote makes me think immediately of St. Ignatius’ mantra to “Find God in All Things.” This is the real struggle of faith. It is not whether God is present – for God is in all things. Rather, as people of faith, it is our struggle to find God present in friends and enemies, immigrants and citizens, creation and destruction, the rich and the poor, the acknowledged and the marginalized. The challenge is to find God within all things, acknowledge this presence, and use it to promote communication, compassion, and allow God to work in the magnificent ways he does.