The Catholic Calendar for Saturday, October 30, 2004
Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Philippians 1:18-26
Psalm 42:2-3,5
Luke 14:1,7-11

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

"Take the lowest place"

The esteem of our beloved Lord. . . .

When we see ourselves as we truly are and acknowledge our place and state of self, we may recognize with awe how much our Lord deeply loves us. It is a love beyond all telling, an "I have loved you first" revealing that continues as we become more open to His presence in our lives. We may be tempted to mistake the ecstasy of His love for us with the truth of what He transforms in us. He lovingly takes us as we are and re-forms us into His 'beauty-full' beloved. It is not that we make ourselves desirable to Him. Rather He desires us first and in His desiring, a pure and perfect love elicits forth from us. We desire to correspond with His image of us. He remakes us in His image and likeness, just as spouses begin to resemble one another.

This feast of love He prepares for all souls; each His beloved. We see that each is re-formed in His image and likeness. Each loves Him with full heart, mind and soul. Each desires, responds and exults in Him, in His love. Each has a very special place with Him.

We do not presume to "deserve" what He bestows and gives freely and perfectly. We see ourselves and our limits and failings to love as He loves us, and we long for Him to again come and draw us to Himself. The place of honor is with Him, in Him, through Him and it is His to bestow, to 'be-love' us to Himself.

O Lord,
draw and hold us closer to you than breath is to life.

- Mary Williams
(wlmsconsul at pdq dot net)

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posted by joachim at 4:32 AM