The readings for today are so familiar to us all, yet do we always know how to apply them to our own lives? Who among us wants to admit that we can truly live in the Spirit and let the Lord guide us? And yet, if we have reached middle age, we know there is no way our plans for our lives are our own. We have learned to say, or at least think, “If the Lord wills it,” with all that we do. Most of us learn some humility. Yes, there are those who boast that everything they plan and do is the right thing to do. They trust in their wealth and boast of their riches. But people of faith learn to discount those people as arrogant fools. So, that part, we get right.
But what about us, the faithful meek ones? Do we really trust that we will be more richly blessed by the Spirit than by the schemes of the powerful for whom there is never enough to remain alive forever and not see destruction? Is our faith in God merely just an exercise in piety? Do we secretly resent our modest lives, thinking that eschewing wealth is the price for our redemption? Do we avoid facing the ugly realities of structural inequality because we do not have the courage to address the brokenness of greed and corrupt power that ensnares us?
These lessons today challenge me to seek the way and the truth and the life of the Lord toward living in the Kingdom of heaven in this life. Why should we fear the wicked and the evil ensnarers of this world when in fact we can live in confidence that we will find more colleagues and friends of the Spirit than we think if we follow Jesus. Together, we too can perform mighty deeds in his name. The lessons for today should give us all the confidence to live out our lives knowing that the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. I pray we will all know the Lord’s will for our lives and through the Spirit we will live to do it.
Barbara Dilly
I came to Creighton in 2000 and retired in 2020. My twenty years of teaching, research and service in the Jesuit tradition enhanced my own life. It was an exciting time of celebration. I loved teaching and interacting with Creighton students because they responded so eagerly to the Ignatian pedagogical emphasis on the development of the whole person. It is this spirit of whole person development and celebration of life that I hope to infuse in my reflection writings.
My academic background is eclectic, preparing me well for the Liberal Arts academic environment at Creighton. I earned my BA in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA in 1988 and my Ph.D. in Comparative Cultures from the University of California, Irvine in 1994. My research focused on rural communities in the American Midwest, Latin America, and Australia. I taught Environmental Anthropology, Qualitative Research Methods, Social and Cultural Theory, and Food Studies courses.
I retired to Shell Rock, a small rural community in Northeast Iowa where I enjoy gardening, cooking, quilting, driving my 65 Impala convertible an my 49 Willys Jeepster. I have lots of fun playing my guitars with friends from the Cedar Valley Acoustic Guitar Association. But most importantly, I am still working to make my community and rural America a better place. I host a community quilt studio and serve on the Mission Board of my church. I also serve as the Climate Committee Chair and on the Executive Board of the Center for Rural Affairs.
