Presence

Lord, help me to be fully alive to Your holy presence. Enfold me in Your love. Let my heart become one with Yours.

Freedom

“In these days, God taught me
as a schoolteacher teaches a pupil.” (Saint Ignatius).
I remind myself that there are things God has yet to teach me,
and I ask for the grace to hear them and let them change me.

Consciousness

As I talk to You, O God,
help me to grow in appreciation of the gifts of communication.
Grant that I will speak out for those who have no voice
and always have a kind word for those in need.

The Word of God

¹¹On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. ¹²As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, ¹³they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” ¹⁴When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. ¹⁵Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. ¹⁶He prostrated himself at Jesus’s feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? So where are the other nine? ¹⁸Did none of them return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Inspiration

Our Lord might well ask, where are the other nine? Do we ever find ourselves among the nine who forgot to thank the Lord? St Ignatius stresses that gratitude is a very important attitude to develop on our spiritual journey. It is a most helpful way to get into prayer, because the more aware we become of the gift, the more aware we can become of the Giver. Everything we have is a gift from God. St Paul wrote, ‘Always be thankful.’

Conversation

Jesus, You speak to me through the words of the Gospels.
May I respond to Your call today.
Teach me to recognise Your hand at work in my daily life.

Conclusion

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

Amen