Presence

I remind myself that, as I sit here now,
God is gazing on me with love and holding me in being.
I pause for a moment and think of this.

Freedom

I will ask for God’s help
to be free from my own preoccupations,
to be open to God in this time of prayer, and
to come to know, love and serve Him more.

Consciousness

God, may I rest in Your radiant presence, just as a flower basks in the light and warmth of the sun. Thank You for bringing light and warmth to my life through other people, through nature, and through Your Word.

The Word of God

¹On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely. ²Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had edema. ³And Jesus asked the experts in the law and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath or not?” ⁴But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him and sent him away. ⁵Then he said to them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a Sabbath day?” ⁶And they could not reply to this.

Inspiration

When Jesus put these direct questions to his accusers they were silent and would not answer because, in their hearts, they could glimpse their own hypocrisy and their lack of compassion for the sick. In our own lives, we can be tempted to brush under the carpet our unChristian attitudes to the poor, the deprived, the sick, migrants, etc. Jesus cures this sick man regardless of how it might antagonise the Pharisees further against him. We pray for the courage to be true to ourselves and to do the right thing regardless of other people’s opinions.

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

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