Presence

Let my heart rejoice and be glad
in this time of prayer.
Remind me often of the great
blessings You have bestowed on me, oh my God.

Freedom

“A thick and shapeless tree-trunk
would never believe that it could become a statue,
admired as a miracle of sculpture,
and would never submit itself to the chisel of the sculptor,
who sees by his genius what he can make of it.” (Saint Ignatius)
I ask for the grace to let myself be shaped by my loving Creator.

Consciousness

Dear Lord, by spending time with You, may I become more like You, so that others will see Christ in me and come to know Your love.

The Word of God

¹⁷As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and mother.’ ” ²⁰He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” ²¹Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²²When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

²³Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Inspiration

The rich young man had many possessions, but in reality it was those things that possessed him and left him unfree to follow the precious invitation from Jesus. Where your treasure is there will your heart be also. What are the things to which we are so attached that they hinder our freedom in living for the kingdom of God?

Everything is possible for God. Our salvation is his constant concern and is only possible with his grace. Jesus said, ‘My Father is at work and I am working too’ (John 5). St Augustine has reminded us that God, who made us without our cooperation, won’t save us without our cooperation.

Conversation

I imagine now one of the Persons of the Trinity before me, Father, Son or Holy Spirit, whoever comes to my imagination most naturally, and I have a heart-to-heart conversation about what I have just read or what I am feeling and experiencing in my life today.

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