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

It is so easy to get caught up
with the trappings of wealth in this life.
Grant, O Lord, that I may be free
from greed and selfishness.
Remind me that the best things in life are free:
love, laughter, caring and sharing.

Consciousness

Lord, please prepare the soil of my heart to receive the seed of Your Word. May it take root, grow and produce a bountiful harvest for Your glory and my good.

The Word of God

¹⁸Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. ¹⁹A scribe then approached and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” ²⁰And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ²¹Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” ²²But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Inspiration

There are sayings in the gospels that are not intended to be taken literally, and ‘let the dead bury their own dead’ is one of them.  Our Lord is really saying here that true discipleship costs and makes demands. God must always come first wherever there is a conflict of interest. Jesus always calls us to love in every situation in which we find ourselves. Let us pray for the gift of true discernment.

Conversation

Conversation requires talking and listening.
As I talk to Jesus may I also learn to be still and listen.
I picture the gentleness in His eyes
and the smile full of love as He gazes on me.
I can be totally honest with Jesus as I tell Him of my worries and my cares.
I will open up my heart to Him as I tell Him of my fears and my doubts.
I will ask Him to help me to place myself fully in His care,
to abandon myself to Him,
knowing that He always wants what is best for me.

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