“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”
Daily Reflections
Saturday, 15th July 2017.
Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of the St. Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Gen 49: 29-32; 50: 15-26;
Ps 105: 1-4, 6-7;
Mt 10: 24-33
HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD
There are two kinds of hidden people. One type of hiddenness is the person living a phony public persona but secretly lives a very different life. These are those who fall into the sin of hypocrisy. It’s frightening to live with such people, since those living this sort of life are never truly at peace. They are completely caught up in what others think and what their public image looks like. Interiorly, they are filled with much sorrow, anxiety and fear. This person struggles greatly with any and every form of true humility, honesty and integrity.
Another form of hiddenness is a person who lives a hidden life. This is the hidden life of the saint! Take, for example, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was seen as a fornicator early in her life and this “public image” of her was never corrected in this world. How else would she have gotten pregnant with Jesus? But the truth was that her soul was the most beautiful, pure and holy creation God ever made. And now, the beauty of her interior life is manifest before the angels and saints and will be made manifest for all eternity!
The promise of the Scripture above is that everything within our heart and conscience will be made manifest for all eternity. Therefore, those living truly holy, humble and sincere lives of virtue now will be seen in this light for eternity. Those living hidden dark lives will have those lives visible for eternity in some way in accord with God’s mercy and justice.
The Gospel tells us to strive doing good with truly holy and pure heart here and now. It doesn’t matter if no one sees your holiness, only God needs to see it. The goal is to allow God to form a beautiful interior life for you and to allow Him to make your soul beautiful to Him. Consider, how well you daily allow God to treat your heart and conscience as His possession, making it a place of true beauty that gives His heart, and yours, much delight.
Prayer: Lord, please come and make my heart Your dwelling place. Make my soul pleasing to You in every way. May Your glory be made manifest there and may You allow this glory to be made manifest for all eternity. Jesus, I trust in You.