Presence

Dear Lord, You have called me by my name.
You have carved me in the palm of Your hand.
May I grow in trust and never give in to despair.

Freedom

Lord, You granted me the great gift of freedom.
In these times, O Lord, grant that I may be free
from any form of racism or intolerance.
Remind me, Lord, that we are all equal
in Your loving eyes.

Consciousness

Jesus, You are always there waiting for me.
Grant that I may be still more often,
that I may always desire to spend time in your Presence,
to know Your peace, Your love.

The Word of God

²⁸One 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.

Inspiration

Do you feel comfortable with the idea of self-love? Do you eat well, take exercise and get enough rest? Do you speak kindly to yourself or do you judge and criticise yourself in a way that you would never talk about a neighbour? It is in the measure in which you love and accept yourself that you will be loving and accepting of your neighbour.

Conversation

“Stay and watch with me.”
These were Your words, Lord, to the disciples,
before Your suffering and death.
I know, Lord, You will stay and watch over me
all the days of my life.

Conclusion

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

Amen