The Catholic Calendar for Saturday, October 2, 2004
Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of the Guardian Angels

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Job 42:1-3,5-6,12-16
Psalm 119:66,71,75,91,125,130
Matthew 18:1-5,10

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

Unless you become like little children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)

A matter of the will seems to be the message Jesus teaches us here. "You will..." to not enter the Kingdom of heaven, reminds one that the choice to remain in the Kingdom of heaven is ours. The choice is to become like little children or to continue on a self-directed way.

Becoming child "like" before God requires that one "choose" to absolutely trust God in all things. That trust enables the "faith" that compels one to act at the beckoning of God before it is clear why, how or what the result will be. This faith that precedes understanding trusts that whatever God asks of us, we "will" do. We have come to know that He loves us so completely and perfectly that whatever He asks, be it easy, difficult, joyful or suffering, we trust that He does for good. This is the faith and trust that we see in the lives of the martyrs who so clearly demonstrate that God brings one through all to Himself. We know the outcome is perfect for all done in and through God.

Childlike trust allows us to find rest in Him in all things, knowing that whatever He asks, He accomplishes through us. We simply remain in Him and allow Him to act through us.

O Lord,
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done in the earth of our lives
as in the kingdom of our eternal souls.
Amen.

- Mary Williams
(wlmsconsul at pdq dot net)

____________________

These meditations are also available by email subscription
©1986-2004 The Way, The Truth, The Life

posted by joachim at 4:19 AM