Having stood next to the falls of Niagara and experiencing with awe the rainbows and mists as well as their thunderous rage, even in a controlled setting, the words of Dr. Seuss, “So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s A Great Balancing Act…”, came to mind upon seeing the painting below.

Imagining the amount of focus, control, and awareness crossing the falls step by step on a wire, once again the word “awe” best captures the impression.

Sitting with the readings for the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, these same words “focus”, “control”, and “awareness” provide an opportunity for further reflection on relationship with God. In the first reading (Is 56:1, 6-7), we are reminded of what one can control—“Observe what is right, do what is just;” (v. 1)—one’s own actions; what one’s focus ought to be—joining, ministering, loving, serving the Lord (v. 6); and an awareness through which we ought to live—”For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” (v. 7)—striving toward the same kind of faithfulness to love and equity with which God bestows upon us.

In the responsorial Psalm (Ps 67:2-3,5,6,8), the psalmist cries out, “O God, let all the nations praise you!” (v. 4). The verses resonate or echo the desire to live up to and embrace what the Lord has said through the Prophet Isaiah in the first reading. They call for inclusivity and equity among God’s people—all those who observe what is right and do what is just, join, minister, love, and serve.

With the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans, St. Paul reminds us that love and mercy go hand in hand. This is especially important to consider when forming opinions and discerning choices.

Brothers and sisters:
I am speaking to you Gentiles.
Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,
I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous
and thus save some of them.
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,
what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
Just as you once disobeyed God
but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,
so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all. –  Rom 11:13-15, 29-32

It is the grace of mercy that calls one to exercise an understanding heart, and the grace of love and mercy together that move one toward what is just.

In the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 15:21-28), the story of the Canaanite woman, provides an example of the grace of God in response to an authentic desire for what is good and just. The Canaanite woman believes that Jesus can heal her daughter and does not allow the fact that she is not Jewish or that Jesus initially seems to turn her away, to dissuade her from seeking that healing and engaging in dialogue not only to ask for what her faith has led her to believe, but also to ask a question that ends up revealing Jesus ministry as being for all people. The woman and Jesus, like God the Father throughout many Bible passages, show an openness to dialogue, propensity toward flexibility with a fixed focus on love and mercy, self-control through respect and consideration in truly listening to each other, and an awareness that flows from a relationship or interactions where all parties have an authentic desire for what is good and just.

Looking again to the tightrope walker, how do they keep their balance? The one pictured above is holding a pole with both hands and using it to maintain their center of gravity, and therefore their balance. At this time in your life, how are you holding onto God, and God onto you? In what ways is God your center of gravity, helping you to focus, exhibit self-control, and have awareness for what is good and just? In what areas do you need God more as your center of gravity? What are some of the ways in which faith has helped you maintain your balance in terms of living and striving to live in a way that exemplifies mercy and love of God, neighbor, and self?

“Thus understanding and love, that is, the knowledge of and delight in the truth, are, as it were, the two arms of the soul, with which it embraces and comprehends with all the saints the length and breath, the height and depth, that is the eternity, the love, the goodness, and the wisdom of God.” – St. Bernard of Clairvaux

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!
My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus’ disciples came and asked him,
“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply,
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”
He said in reply,
“It is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps
that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith!
Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour. – Mt 15:21-28