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Thursday of the Thirty-second week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
Isaac the Syrian (7th century), monk near Mosul
Ascetical Discourses, 1st part

"The kingdom of God is among you."

The demons dread but God and his angels desire one who fervently seeks God day and night in his heart and repels the enemy's attacks. The spiritual country of one who is pure in soul lies within himself: the sun that shines within him is the light of the Holy Trinity; the air breathed through the thoughts within him is the holy Spirit, the Comforter; and the holy angels abide with him. Their life, their joy, their gladness is Christ, light of the Father's light. Such a one continually enjoys the contemplation of his soul, marvelling at the beauty he sees there, shining a hundred times more powerfully than the brightness of the sun.

This is Jerusalem. And it is “the Kingdom of God within us”, to use the Lord's own words. This country is the cloud of God's glory into which only the pure of heart can enter to behold their Master's face (Mt 5,8). Their minds will be enlightened by the rays of his light.

'All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully. As a result, we ought to appreciate and use these gifts of God insofar as they help us toward our goal of loving service and union with God. But insofar as any created things hinder our progress toward our goal, we ought to let them go.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola