Presence

God is with me, but more,
God is within me, giving me existence.
Let me dwell for a moment on God’s life-giving presence
in my body, my mind, my heart
and in the whole of my life.

Freedom

Lord, I pray for Your gift of freedom.
May Your Holy Spirit
guide those in power to work for
true justice for all Your people.

Consciousness

Grant, O Lord, that I may be conscious
and grateful for all the good things you have given to me.
May I share my blessings with others always.

The Word of God

⁹As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him.

¹⁰And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹²But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Inspiration

Matthew was called from his tax office, to give up his way of life and to follow Jesus. His way of life was presumed to be dishonest. We pray that we may give up our dishonest ways, even in small things, to follow the Lord more closely.

The company we keep tells much about us. Self-interest, pride, and the opinions of others can have an undue influence on our choices. Lord, we desire your freedom to befriend all people and help them to come to the truth of your message of love and welcome.

Conversation

I begin to talk to Jesus about the piece of scripture I have just read.
What part of it strikes a chord in me?
Perhaps the words of a friend, or some story I have heard recently, or some experience,
will slowly rise to the surface of my consciousness.
If so, does this memory throw light on what the scripture passage may be trying to say to me?

Conclusion

I thank God for these few moments we have spent alone together and for any insights I may have been given concerning the text.

Amen