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October 29 reflection October 29 reflection

What in your life distracts you from resting in God?

Today is Oct. 29, Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time.

In the Gospel at Mass today, Jesus says: “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches” (Lk 13:20-21).

In the October issue of Our Sunday Visitor magazine, Israel McGrew writes in his beautiful commentary on the creation of man as told in Genesis: “Achieving the inner peace necessary to image God must be found in prayer. We must return every morning and throughout the day to a position of creaturely trust and rest in God’s loving vision.”

I love this idea that the culmination of creation is rest, dwelling in what God has made. Jesus offers the same vision of Genesis, in fact, in today’s Gospel. The seed shall grow and the birds of the sky shall take up their place in the broad branches of the tree. When birds are in the tree, they are not at work. It is their dwelling place, their home. It is the place of their nests, but more so, it is their place of rest.

What in our lives distracts us from resting in God? What prevents us from taking up our place in the branches of the Kingdom, perching among the saints? It might be something that on its face appears good. Being informed to some extent about the news, for example, helps us to make good decisions as we vote. But allowing that interest to become an obsession might be drawing our attention away from the most important things.

Today, let’s pray for the grace to rest, to find our place in the branches of the kingdom:

Almighty ever-living God, increase our faith, hope and charity, and make us love what you command, so that we may merit what you promise. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

My Daily Visitor spiritual reflections are a dose of daily Catholic inspiration from Our Sunday Visitor magazine.

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