“Beloved and Sent: Living the Invitation of Jesus”
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Song of Songs 2:8-17
The voice of my lover! Here he comes, springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. See! He is standing behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks; he says to me, “Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning has come, and the song of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!
My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.”
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that damage the vineyards; for our vineyards are in bloom. My lover belongs to me and I to him; he feeds among the lilies. Until the day grows cool and the shadows flee, turn, my lover, be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether.
Grace Prayed For
The grace to hear and respond to Jesus’s personal invitation to intimacy — to allow His love to heal, transform, and overflow from my heart into every encounter.
Reflection
The Lover’s voice breaks into the silence of our ordinary days. Jesus — my Beloved — comes to me, not from afar, but from within the hidden places of my heart, springing over every obstacle that separates us. His call is tender but urgent: “Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!” It is an invitation into communion, into intimacy, into mission — for intimacy with Christ always sends us forth.
He gazes upon me with delight, not because I am perfect, but because I am His. Every time I receive His love, the winter within me begins to melt — fear gives way to trust, shame gives way to belonging, and the fragrance of new life begins to rise. His love restores what was withered; His presence turns every shadow into light.
But Jesus also asks me to “catch the little foxes” — the small distractions, resentments, and doubts that damage the vineyard of my soul. He longs for me to guard the space where His love grows so that it may bear fruit in my encounters with others. To be loved by Him is to be transformed by Him — and that transformation becomes mission.
When I share the love that has changed me, I become a living window through which others may glimpse His gaze. My voice, my kindness, my patience — all become echoes of His invitation: “Arise, come!” Intimacy with Jesus is never meant to stay hidden; it radiates outward, calling all creation back into harmony with the Father’s love.
Announcing Jesus in Our Lives
Ways to Evangelize in Daily Life
- Be attentive: Look for the “windows” where Christ peers into your day — moments when someone needs to be seen, listened to, or comforted.
- Live loved: Let your actions arise from a place of being loved, not from duty. Smile, forgive quickly, speak gently.
- Bear witness: Share, when appropriate, how Jesus’s love has changed your life — how His invitation brought healing, peace, or courage.
- Cultivate gratitude: Begin and end each day by naming where you noticed His presence — this awareness naturally spills into how you speak and act.
- Serve with tenderness: In every small act of care, reveal the face of the Beloved who leaps across every barrier to reach those who need Him.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post