The Catholic Calendar for Friday, November 11, 2005
The Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
St. Martin of Tours, bishop

Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Wisdom 13:1-9
Psalm 19:2-3, 4-5ab
Luke 17:26-37

A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:

“Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.”

This sentence has a very specific meaning in the context of the passage for today. However, it also has a much broader meaning, a meaning for the conduct of everyday life that we might do well to consider.

In the course of living each person develops some habits and traits that help make certain things bearable, that help them "find life." Each person has ways of coping with difficult people and situations, some more effective than others. Each person has built up around the child who experienced God most directly, a fortification designed to keep others outside--to allow through only those people and events that are tolerable.

As a result each person has cut him or herself off to a greater or lesser extent. As one develops these habits , one cuts off certain means of effective grace. The people God sends to each one every day are the people He intends to help us grow in love of Him. If a person chooses not to deal with the day, they choose not to use the ordinary means of grace that God provides each day to connect us to Him.

In seeking to "find ourselves" or make life more livable, many people fall out of touch with the source of life itself. Life becomes less tolerable. How does one fix this?

There is only one way--complete surrender. Each person must allow the old man to die, to be done away with, to come to an end. In so doing, one is freed to love with Christ's love, to pursue real life, to take up one's position in the body of Christ. This is the only means. No one can fit into God's plan on his or her own terms. It cannot be done. We do not pray, "My will be done," but rather, "Thy will be done." And this is the prayer that opens the door to becoming the person God wishes us to be. "Thy will be done, "declares surrender, death of the old and selfish person, and new identity in Christ Jesus.

Thy will be done, here and now on Earth,
here in my very person,
in Your way,
in Your time,
in Your love.

O Lord,
use Your means to transform me into You
and let me begin to live Your real life. Amen

- JuandelaCruz
(sriddle415 at yahoo dot com)