Presence

“But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret”. (Matthew 6:6) God, You are my secret place, always dwelling within me, and I in You. May I put time aside each day to enter the inner room of my heart, in order to be with You.

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, fulfilling Your will through me.

Consciousness

I remind myself that I am in the presence of the Lord.
I will take refuge in His loving heart.
He is my strength in times of weakness.
He is my comforter in times of sorrow.

The Word of God

An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Inspiration

Our Lord reduced all the commandments to two, namely to love God with all our heart and our neighbour as ourselves. These two are really two parts of the one great commandment to love, which is the whole purpose for our being on this earth. When our Lord meets us in judgement upon our deaths, I believe the only question he will ask of us will be, ‘How have you loved?’ And if we have reached the full development of our individual capacity to love, then we are ready to merge with God in love and so can enter heaven. It is out of the one loving heart that we love all.

Conversation

How has God’s Word moved me?
Has it left me cold?
Has it consoled me or moved me to act in a new way?
I imagine Jesus standing or sitting beside me and
I turn and share my feelings with Him.

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