Presence

I slow myself down for a moment, and try to realise that God is present,
To me, here and now. He is present in what I do,
in the people that I meet, and the situations I find myself in daily.
I become present to the One who is always present to me.

Freedom

I need to close out the noise, to rise above the noise:
the noise that interrupts, that separates,
the noise that isolates.
I need to listen to God again, in stillness and quiet.

Consciousness

How wonderful it is to be able
to enter into Your presence, Lord;
no matter what time it is,
no matter which land I am in,
I need only speak Your Name.

The Word of God

³³Then they said to him, “John’s disciples, like the disciples of the Pharisees, frequently fast and pray, but your disciples eat and drink.” ³⁴Jesus said to them, “You cannot make wedding attendants fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you? ³⁵The days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” ³⁶He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and sews it on an old garment; otherwise, not only will one tear the new garment, but the piece from the new will not match the old garment. ³⁷Similarly, no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins and will spill out, and the skins will be ruined. ³⁸But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. ³⁹And no one after drinking old wine desires new wine but says, ‘The old is good.’ ”

Inspiration

The new wine of the kingdom of God brought to us by Jesus needs new wineskins. Jesus came to perfect the law and to usher in what St Paul calls a new creation. St John Henry Newman wrote, ‘To live is to change, and to live well is to change often.’

Conversation

Words don’t always come easily to me, Lord.
Look into my heart
and see my longing for peace.
Watch over me, Lord.
I know that You are always by my side.

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