Lectio
“God does not bestow these favours on certain souls because they are more holy than others who do not receive them, but to manifest His greatness, as in the case of St. Paul and St. Mary Magdalen, and that we may glorify Him in His creatures.”
— Teresa of Ávila, Interior Castle
Meditatio
The Lord does not call to His side the strong, the mighty, the wise, or the righteous. Rather, He calls the weak, the broken, the sick, and the sinful, and through Him, they become all that He is and all that they were not without Him.
While all are called into the salvation of the Lord, He calls most closely to His side those who need Him most — the poor, the meek, and the downtrodden — so that, through them, He can show the world His power, His mercy, and His glory, which is the very love that transforms us.
Since we who are called are not the source of our own calling, there is no room to brag or to boast, for we know that it was in our very weakness that we were made strong, that grace, alone, is the source of whatever goodness, wisdom, and light we may possess.
Those of us in most need of love receive the most love, for even our capacity to receive Him is itself His gift to us. Through Christ, the depths of our sorrow and the depths of our suffering become the depths of the grace and mercy we are filled with from the Lord.
In this way, all that we experienced before coming to know Him becomes the soil for the fruit of His light and His love. And through our conversion from sinner to saint, His body, the Church, is made all the more holy and all the more radiant — a beacon of heaven for others to see and follow into His arms.
Oratio
The Seat Of Glory
the darkness
becomes
through Christ
the home for the light
filling every crevice
every hidden corner
and crack
bursting forth
in fullness
in radiance
where before
there was nothing
where before
there was void
and lack
the darkness
becomes
through Christ
the seat of His glory
pouring out
into the world
Contemplatio
Wherever you feel most empty, most broken, most in need — that is not distance from Him, but the very shape of the room He longs to fill. You were not asked to become worthy before He drew near; you were only asked to let the dark become His dwelling. Sit for a while in whatever corner remains unlit, and let Him move as He wills.
Related Scripture
“But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NRSVCE)
For Further Reading
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Hand That Withers, The Hand That Heals: Bede on the Undoing of Adam’s Curse (Lectio Divina), which turns to another portrait of a body and heart being healed by a nearness they did nothing to earn.
Robert Van Valkenburgh
Grappling With Divinity.
Wrestling With God.
Returning To Love.
Leave a Reply