Presence

May my heart rejoice in Your love, O Lord.
Let me live each day anew.

Freedom

God is not foreign to my freedom.
Instead, the Spirit breathes life into my most intimate desires,
gently nudging me towards all that is good.
I ask for the grace to let myself be enfolded by the Spirit.

Consciousness

Conscious of Your presence, Lord,
I look over my recent past.
Let me be honest with myself about how I’ve been
and what I’ve done,
because I know You love truth in the heart
and accept me just as I am.

The Word of God

¹When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ²So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door, and he was speaking the word to them. ³Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶Now some of the scribes were sitting there questioning in their hearts, ⁷“Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves, and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? ⁹Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—¹¹“I say to you, stand up, take your mat, and go to your home.” ¹²And he stood up and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Inspiration

There’s something very inspiring in today’s gospel, for it focuses our attention on concerned friends – maybe our own – and the generosity they sometimes display. In this instance, the helpers could see their friend labouring under all sorts of disadvantages and saw that he was finding it difficult to hold on to hope. They act, and Jesus responds, turning despair into hope and producing a glimmer of light in an otherwise dark existence.

Conversation

I sit quietly with my God who knows my every thought, every need and every desire, and I allow Him to minister to me in this moment. I receive whatever nourishment I need for the journey.

Conclusion

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

Amen