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

Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, Lord,
so that I may have inner freedom.
Let Your Spirit instil in my heart
a desire to know and love You more each day.

Consciousness

There is a time and place for everything, as the saying goes.
Lord, grant that I may always desire
to spend time in Your presence,
to hear Your call.

The Word of God

¹⁸As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. ¹⁹And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” ²⁰Immediately they left their nets and followed him. ²¹As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. ²²Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Inspiration

Andrew was somewhat overshadowed by his brother Simon Peter. He, too, was a fisherman who left his nets to fish for people. Jesus and his way became the focus. May we have the freedom to hear the Lord’s call anew and leave aside what is not needed in following him.

We have arrived at the end of the Church year, but it is like a cycle that begins again with Advent, as we prepare to welcome Jesus anew. May we draw strength from Andrew to remain centred on the Lord, to welcome his call and the mission he shares with us.

Conversation

Jesus often asked questions of those who came to Him.
Let me sense Him close to me now,
listening to my prayer and asking
“How can I help you?”
“What can I give you?”
“What do you need?”

Conclusion

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

Amen