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

Lord, I ask for the grace to know
that doing Your will is a joy
because Your will is my deepest desire
and You are always willing what is best for me.

Consciousness

I am surrounded by Your loving presence, Lord,
but I am aware of my fragility and weakness.
Thank You that I can face my shortcomings
in Your merciful embrace.

The Word of God

⁴⁹“I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! ⁵⁰I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! ⁵¹Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! ⁵²From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; ⁵³they will be divided:

father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Inspiration

Here we see the human face of Jesus. He explained why he was under stress. One might assume that he felt frustrated because he came to bring fire on earth and wished it were already kindled. Perhaps he felt disappointed that his disciples didn’t understand the parables predicting that he would be put to death.

Maybe the disciples expected Jesus to bring peace on earth. He explained that his teaching brought division between those who believed and loved him and those who were alienated and rejected him. You might like to pray about your own expectations of Jesus.

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

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