Dear God, I wanted to be close to You, today. Bless the Holy Spirit, I was led to witness the faith that’s so strongly expressed in others. I pray that I can make You happy through the love I give to my family, and through the care I provide my staff at work.
Your Holy Bride, the Church, taught me that Your love for humanity is rooted in history. I see that from today’s reading. The Book of Daniel in the Old Testament (7:9-14) refers to the “Son of Man,” and that same phrase is used again by Jesus after the Transfiguration (Mk 9:2-10). Jesus, Your only Son, my Savior and Lord, is connected to the love story told by the Jewish people before there were any written texts. The connections are deep, and my Holy Mother Church is showing me as I participate in her daily liturgy.
Dear God, Your love for humanity is personal. It’s not just for the Jewish people, or for any group of people. Your love reaches out to each person — to me, individually. Bless the Holy Spirit, I can see how my salvation is rooted in Your love story. How can I explain where I am now, knowing where I came from, being as weak, as selfish, as corruptible as I am? You made it possible, led me to Your river of love and I said, “yes.” I jumped in and I am being swept away in Your merciful waters. This river stretches far, far back — beyond the time when the Book of Daniel was written, all the way back to the beginning of the world. This river continues ahead of me, beyond what I can immediately see, but certainly leading to the Second Coming of Jesus. Behind me, ahead of me, I’m in awe of the love You have for us. So many others just stand by the banks of the river, refusing to dive in. Beyond the river banks are even more souls, hidden in shadows.
I am not doing You justice, God, by staying in the boat. I’m grateful for all the blessings You have given me and my family, but I know I’m not doing You justice by leading more souls to Your Mercy. There so many souls beyond the sides of the river.
Oh God, forgive me! How I long to know how to make You happy… all I do is take, take, take. Every time I take Communion, I dip my hand into this river of love. My soul is changed, but I never get out of the boat! Oh Lord, I do you an injustice. The Gospel reading today was about the Transfiguration. My soul is changed because of You, but I am not sharing Your Word.
My prayers grow stale because my words are empty without any works of love.
Lord, help me go beyond reading the Scriptures. Help me love others as You commanded. I ask this, humbly, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.