Presence

I pause for a moment
and think of the love and the grace
that God showers on me,
creating me in His image and likeness,
making me His temple….

Freedom

I try to let go of concerns and worries
that may be dragging me down at this present moment.
I place any concerns I have in God’s hands
– at least for these few minutes of prayer.

Consciousness

Jesus, You are always there waiting for me.
Grant that I may be still more often,
that I may always desire to spend time in your Presence,
to know Your peace, Your love.

The Word of God

¹⁷He came down with them and stood on a level place with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.

²⁰Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

²²“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. ²³Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven, for that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

²⁴“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. ²⁵“Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.

²⁶“Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

Inspiration

The Beatitudes outline for us many of the values of the Kingdom of God, which are so different from the values sought and honoured in our world. We pray for the mindset to take them in and to practise them.

It is those who recognise their inner poverty and their complete dependence on God who possess the kingdom of God. The values and ways of the world will always be different from those of the kingdom, so there will be opposition from a secular society. Let us pray for all who are persecuted for their faith and ask for the grace of perseverance in our fidelity to Christ.

Conversation

Lord, You have engraved my name
on the palm of Your hand.
Even if others forget me,
You never will.

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