Presence

Lord, when I am feeling lonely,
remind me of Your promise,
“You are never alone,
I am with you always,
yes, to the end of time.” (Matthew 28:20)

Freedom

Lord, too often I think I am the one in control of my life.
Help me to see that I am powerless over so much.
I ask for the grace to be able to hand over my life to You
and experience the joy of that freedom.

Consciousness

Lord, You are present in all things
and when I take time to simply sit and be with You,
my mind rests
and I feel Your peace.

The Word of God

²Some, testing him, asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” ³He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” ⁴They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” ⁵But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. ⁶But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ⁷‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,^{, 8}and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. ⁹Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

¹⁰Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ¹¹He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, ¹²and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

¹³People were bringing children to him in order that he might touch them, and the disciples spoke sternly to them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not stop them, for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Inspiration

The Pharisees set out to test Jesus on the issue of divorce, referring to the stance of Moses. Jesus stated God’s desire but he was aware that all did not meet the ideal. May we have the faith and courage to teach the truth and be compassionate to those who do not meet it.

From marriage there is the move to children. Jesus was happy to meet and engage with children, despite the indignation of the disciples. We pray for the freedom of children to approach Jesus and to be better members of his kingdom.

Conversation

Sometimes I wonder what I might say if I were to meet You in person, Lord.
I think I might say “Thank You, Lord” for always being there for me.
I know with certainty there were times when You carried me, Lord,
when it was through Your strength that I got through the dark times in my life.

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