Presence

“Come to me all you who are burdened and I will give you rest”. (Matthew 11:28). Here I am, Lord. I come to seek Your presence. I long for Your healing power.

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

To be conscious of something is to be aware of it. Dear Lord, help me to remember that You gave me life. Thank You for the gift of life. Teach me to slow down, to be still and to enjoy the pleasures created for me, to be aware of the beauty that surrounds me: the marvel of mountains, the calmness of lakes, the fragility of a flower petal. I need to remember that all these things come from You.

The Word of God

¹Once while Jesus was standing beside the Lake of Gennesaret and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, ²he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. ³He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” ⁶When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to burst. ⁷So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” ⁹For he and all who were with him were astounded at the catch of fish that they had taken, ¹⁰and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” ¹¹When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Inspiration

St Patrick’s call from God to leave his home and kin and go on his mission to Ireland came out of his early experiences as a slave, minding sheep and learning to pray and to depend on God alone. In his Confessions, what stands out are his faith and his gratitude to God.  It is through our own life experiences that God calls us to follow him in faith and in gratitude.

At Christ’s bidding Peter let out the nets. Pope St John Paul II used this same image in his call for a renewal in the Church. In whatever mission our God gives to us we will always succeed if we remain attached to Christ, the true vine. Let us pray for the grace of a deeper trust in his help.

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

Filled with the loving presence of God,
I ask Him to bless me and guide my steps
as I go to do His work in my daily life.

Amen