Friday 13 March
Presence
May my heart rejoice in Your love, O Lord.
Let me live each day anew.
Freedom
Heavenly Father, make me conscious of whatever burden I am carrying today and give me the grace to place it at the foot of Your Cross and so enter freely into this time of prayer.
Consciousness
How am I really feeling? Lighthearted? Heavy-hearted?
I may be very much at peace, happy to be here.
Equally, I may be frustrated, worried or angry.
I acknowledge how I really am. It is the real me that the Lord loves.
The Word of God
Mark 12:28-34 NRSVue28One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 33and ‘to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
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Inspiration
When St Ignatius spoke about finding pathways to the Kingdom, he had a wonderful clarity of vision when he tried to guide others. The Lord is correspondingly succinct with his own guidance when he tells us to love God and love our neighbour. I ask myself if I have managed to display some of that concern towards others around me today.
Conversation
I imagine now one of the Persons of the Trinity before me, Father, Son or Holy Spirit, whoever comes to my imagination most naturally, and I have a heart-to-heart conversation about what I have just read or what I am feeling and experiencing in my life today.
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
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