Presence

Dear Lord, You have called me by my name.
You have carved me in the palm of Your hand.
May I grow in trust and never give in to despair.

Freedom

Lord, grant me the grace to be free from the excesses of this life. Let me not get caught up with the desire for wealth. Keep my heart and mind free to love and serve You.

Consciousness

As I talk to You, O God,
help me to grow in appreciation of the gifts of communication.
Grant that I will speak out for those who have no voice
and always have a kind word for those in need.

The Word of God

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was in the beginning with God. ³All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

⁶There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.^,

¹⁰He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. ¹²But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, ¹³who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.^{, 17}The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

Inspiration

The theme of light is a favourite theme in John’s Gospel, with emphasis on the enlightenment of our minds that opens them to the revelation of God. Jesus is the light that has come into the world to enlighten all who will accept him. He comes to reveal what God his Father is really like. In John 14 we read, ‘No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.’ 

By reading the gospels frequently we come to know more about the kind of person Jesus is. But it’s only through meeting him in heartfelt prayer that we come to know him personally. Lord, may our praying to you each day become a joyful encounter with you.

Conversation

Jesus, You speak to me through the words of the Gospels.
May I respond to Your call today.
Teach me to recognise Your hand at work in my daily life.

Conclusion

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

Amen