Presence

“But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret”. (Matthew 6:6) God, You are my secret place, always dwelling within me, and I in You. May I put time aside each day to enter the inner room of my heart, in order to be with You.

Freedom

Everything has the potential to draw forth from me a fuller love and life,
yet my desires are often fixed, caught, on illusions of fulfillment.
I ask that You, God, through my freedom, may orchestrate my desires
in a vibrant, loving melody rich in harmony, in accordance with Your will.

Consciousness

We are all pilgrims on a journey to You, Lord.
May we contemplate Your time on earth,
and, with Your help, follow in Your footsteps.

The Word of God

⁴⁵Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there, ⁴⁶and he said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”
⁴⁷Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him, ⁴⁸but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.

Inspiration

God’s house was to be one of prayer and worship, not a den of robbers. The sacred place was to offer sacred space for God in the people’s lives. Lord, give us a deeper sense of the sacred and of your invitation to us.

The leaders were looking for a way to kill Jesus, whereas the people were spellbound by his daily teaching in the temple. The contrasting attitudes speak to the world of now. May we have the freedom to listen anew and have the strength to live the truth of Jesus, even in the face of opposition.

Conversation

On reflecting on today’s Gospel, is there anything I believe God wants me to hear or know at this time? What truth does He want to speak into my life today?

Conclusion

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

Amen