Presenza

Più invochiamo il Signore, più percepiamo la sua presenza. Giorno dopo giorno ci attira verso il suo cuore amorevole.

Libertà

Signore Dio, ti ringrazio per il dono della libertà.
Aiutami a usare questo dono con integrità.
Sono libero nelle mie scelte.
Aiutami a scegliere di seguirti,
a vivere in modo cristiano prendendomi cura degli altri.
Ricordami di essere sempre consapevole che c’è chi è meno fortunato di me:
gli oppressi, i prigionieri, coloro che non sono liberi di esprimere il loro credo in pubblico.
Guidami a cercare sempre la Tua santa volontà in tutti gli eventi della mia vita.

Consapevolezza

Padre celeste, fa’ che io cresca nella virtù in ogni momento in cui mi prendo del tempo per ascoltarti e per passare del tempo con te. Che la tua bontà possa traboccare nella mia vita e dalla mia vita traboccare nella vita di tutti coloro che incontro.

La Parola di Dio

¹⁷“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. ¹⁸For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. ¹⁹Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

²¹“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ ²²But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. ²³So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. ²⁵Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. ²⁶Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.^{, 30}And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.

³¹“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³²But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

³³“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ ³⁴But I say to you: Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. ³⁶And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. ³⁷Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.

Ispirazione

La legge ebraica delineava vari suggerimenti e regole che potrebbero aiutarci a vivere secondo la volontà di Dio. Gesù, relativamente a questo argomento, espose una serie di linee guida più radicali per mantenerci sulla retta via. Le aspettative erano elevate, e alcuni di coloro che vennero ad ascoltare Gesù decisero che le nuove direttive non facevano per loro. Aiutaci a rimanere sulla strada giusta nelle nostre vite e a incoraggiare gli altri a fare lo stesso.

Conversazione

Il dono della parola è un dono meraviglioso.
Fai che io possa usare questo dono con benevolenza.
Fai che io sia lento nel pronunciare parole dure,
parole offensive e parole pronunciate con collera.

Conclusioni

Ringrazio Dio per questi pochi momenti che abbiamo trascorso da soli insieme e per le ispirazioni che ho ricevuto leggendo il testo.

Amen