Presence

To be present is to arrive as one is and open up to the other.
At this instant, as I arrive here, God is present waiting for me.
God always arrives before me, desiring to connect with me
even more than my most intimate friend.
I take a moment and greet my loving God.

Freedom

Lord God, I thank you for the gift of freedom.
Help me to use this gift with integrity.
I am free to make choices.
Help me to choose to follow You,
to live in a Christian way by caring for others.
Remind me to consider always those less fortunate than myself:
the oppressed, the prisoner, those who are not free to worship in public.
Guide me always to seek Your holy will in all the events of my life.

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

⁴⁷Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed. ⁴⁸So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹For this reason the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, ⁵¹from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation. ⁵²Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees became hostile to him and began to interrogate him about many things, ⁵⁴lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.

Inspiration

Failure to appreciate the true purpose of the law led to misguided decisions as well as the inability to hear the message of the prophets and the apostles. We pray to see the law as a guide in life for ourselves and also to help others live it well, with love.

Jesus’ proclamation of the truth revealed the blindness of the Pharisees, who became hostile to Jesus and wanted to catch him out. Lord, help us to understand your message better so that it can be a rule of life that frees us and shows us the way.

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 His gift of love
as I go forth with joy and hope
to serve His people.

Amen