Near – Lavish Mercy

Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
November 29, 2024

Today’s Readings:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112924.cfm

Jesus told his disciples a parable.
“Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Luke 21:29-31

Jesus tells his followers to be attuned to the emergence of God’s Kingdom.

The reality is that the Kingdom of God already enfolds us, but it is difficult for us to see it with our human eyes. When we see a ripe peach or tomato, we know it is ready to come to the table. But are we able to see the Spirit of God ripening in the world around us? Are we ready to pluck grace from our everyday circumstances so that God’s Reign is released into the world?

Today, in God’s Lavish Mercy:
We prayerfully consider all that blossoms in our daily life. Where is the invitation to holiness within our circumstances? May God lift us to pick the fruit offered.

Poetry: Go to the Limits of Your Longing – Rainer Maria Rilké

God speaks to each of us as he makes us,
then walks with us silently out of the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:

You, sent out beyond your recall,
go to the limits of your longing.
Embody me.

Flare up like a flame
and make big shadows I can move in.

Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror.
Just keep going. No feeling is final.
Don’t let yourself lose me.

Nearby is the country they call life.
You will know it by its seriousness.

Give me your hand.