Presence

I hear the Lord whispering my name, inviting me into this time of prayer. I let all other distractions fall away as I bask in the blessing of the nearness of God.

Freedom

Lord, I pray for Your gift of freedom.
May Your Holy Spirit
guide those in power to work for
true justice for all Your people.

Consciousness

Dear Jesus, may I always be aware of Your presence,
Your power and Your Love,
all the days of my life.

The Word of God

²⁰Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. ²¹And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” ²²But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” ²³He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

²⁴When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. ²⁵But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ²⁶It will not be so among you, but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave, ²⁸just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Inspiration

Jesus uses the situations that come up to teach his disciples great truths. Here, he shows them the path they are to take if they are to be his true followers and are willing to learn from his example.

Jesus is also saying all of this to us. Let us pray to listen to him and for the grace to follow his example.

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