Presence

It is always nice to be in the presence of friends. You, O Lord, are my closest and truest friend. May I never forget the friend I have in You.

Freedom

I try to let go of any prejudices and narrow-mindedness
that may be clouding my vision at this present moment.
I hand them over to God’s merciful care, so I can pray in freedom, truth and clarity.

Consciousness

Lord, You are present in all things
and when I take time to simply sit and be with You,
my mind rests
and I feel Your peace.

The Word of God

¹⁹“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. ²²The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³In Hades, where he was being tormented, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.^{, 24}He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’ ²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ ²⁷He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—²⁸for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ ³⁰He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ ³¹He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Inspiration

God respects our free choices, and we have to take responsibility for them. St Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 6, ‘Now is the acceptable time.’ We pray to use our time on earth well and to live our lives guided by the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, who is much greater than Moses and the prophets.

Our faith is based on the fact, attested to by witnesses, that Jesus rose from the dead, but many people still have to be convinced. We thank God for the gift of faith and pray to grow in it.

Conversation

Lord, You have engraved my name
on the palm of Your hand.
Even if others forget me,
You never will.

Conclusion

I thank God for His gift of love
as I go forth with joy and hope
to serve His people.

Amen