Presence

I pause for a moment
and think of the love and the grace
that God showers on me,
creating me in His image and likeness,
making me His temple….

Freedom

Lord, grant me the grace to be free from the excesses of this life. Let me not get caught up with the desire for wealth. Keep my heart and mind free to love and serve You.

Consciousness

Lord You have called me the “light of the world”.
Let me be always conscious of those You want me to serve:
the hungry and the homeless,
the sick and the destitute,
the stranger and the refugee.

The Word of God

²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ³¹I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³²And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. ³³I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ ³⁴And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.”

Inspiration

As we read today’s gospel, we are given the example of John the Baptist as a person of great faith, but also one who is more than prepared to move his followers on to a teacher who is altogether greater than himself. Jesus wants to talk with us directly, but he sometimes makes use of special figures who can open a door to him.  John is one of these, as were Andrew and Peter. Spend a little time reminding yourself of people who were guides for you as they generously tried to help you develop your own faith.

Conversation

God came to bring life, both in Flesh and Word. What life-giving word have I received today? Or if nothing touched me, can I feel the life-giving presence of Jesus with me right now?

Conclusion

Filled with the loving presence of God,
I ask Him to bless me and guide my steps
as I go to do His work in my daily life.

Amen