Scent of Glory

This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.

Following Jesus’ example in today’s gospel, do you ever pray to the Father, “Glorify me, Father?” Might seem selfish. Might seem strange. But Jesus shows us that it is neither.

Desiring glory for oneself is not a vice, but a virtue. That is, it is a virtue when we look for glory in the right place. Jesus’ request has a note of intimacy in it; His glory derives from the relationship of love between Him and His Father, not from individual achievement or conquest. Still, there is achievement involved. The achievement is that of saying “yes” to the will of the Father in all things, even though for Jesus–and for us–this involves a battle against some of our most fundamental instincts. And the glory is not self-aggrandizement, but rather it is a gratuitous, loving gift from the Father.

We catch a scent of this glory on St. Paul in the first reading (along with the musky, earthy smell of one who travels all over the known world in ancient times). Paul’s glory likewise is a gift from God–from the Holy Spirit. Paul stands tall in his confidence that he understands God’s will for him and is dead set on fulfilling it. Like Jesus in the Gospel, he is full of love and solicitude for those entrusted to him, and he fully, freely embraces the destiny God has placed before him. This gives him incomparable stature–glorious stature.

We may well ask God, as ardently as we wish, “Glorify me.” He will answer our prayer by leading us to a loving and complete surrender to His will, which–no matter what our temperament, our talents, or even our insecurities–will bring with it, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, a state of admirable and enviable glory and greatness.

Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Ask Jesus to inspire in you a Napoleonic passion for glory, but for the glory that He sought–the glory that only God can bequeath. Ask Him to make of you nothing less than what His Father has designed you, and He has redeemed and exalted you, to be.