You tell us that if we are insensitive to the needs of a weaker brother that we are sinning against You. That is a powerful reason for us to show patience when we are inclined to do otherwise.
An innocent child…the perfect example of faith.
When we observe the purity and innocence of a child, You tell us that these children and their innocence are a representation of persons who will inhabit Your kingdom. How, Jesus, can we ever achieve that kind of innocence? The answer comes from You. “I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
Me, a saint? No way…is that right?
Paul says we are called to be “saints”. Father, You know how frail and impotent we feel, at times. Help us today, to know that when we are full of the Holy Spirit seeking to be as You Jesus, that we are, in that moment, saints.
Eat, drink, work, play…as unto the Lord.
Help us, today, to take care of the body you have given us and to be an effective witness, one that presents ourselves as a Temple of God. Give us, we pray, the self-discipline, buoyed by the power of the Holy Spirit to be as You Jesus, full of joy, humility and love.
I have no gifts…thus I have no responsibilities. Right?
Here You teach us that our differences are in our gifts, not our means of knowing You. No gift is better than another and we all contribute, to the best of our ability, in making the Church one body in Christ Jesus. Forgive us if we add rules and conditions that are not named by You.
Am I my brother’s keeper…yes, more than I thought.
You teach us that our conscience must be clear when we make choices about eating and drinking and that if our heart convicts us concerning such things, we should refrain. You also tell us that if we do not feel right about what we are doing and we go on doing it, we are sinning.
Is there any upside to being tested? I prefer no difficult moments!
Father, not every day seems to “go right” but we know that you allow us to be tested. Help us not to resist the testing as something negative, but to see it as a chance to depend upon You. We know that during the testing we are tempted to lose faith, to get discouraged and to doubt Your presence in the situation. That is what the tempter does, Father. Satan wants us to waiver in our faith.
I proclaim to know God. Does He truly know me, “intimately”?
Again we are taught that to “profess” to know You but to have impure thoughts and impure behaviors is not o.k. Help us, today, not to simply profess our faith, but to live our faith in complete obedience to Your word. Help us not to disqualify ourselves by misbehaving or worse yet, professing but not believing. We hear of dysfunctional families but You Father remove our stony hearts, replacing them with a new heart that is able to keep pace with Your perfect will, if we but seek You.
Proclaiming the Gospel… Is that too risky?
Father, help us today not to hide our Light under a bushel, knowing that when we witness of Your love, made manifest at the Cross, we are witnessing to Your children, created in Your image and that You will that not one single person perish, no not one.
Where do you get comfort and counsel during chaos?
Jesus, for this wonderful set of facts, we are so grateful. You tell us, in the first person, that the Holy Spirit, having been sent, will convict the world of sin. Your crucifixion and resurrection, and the gift of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and teach us, is also a turning point in Your relationship with every person. You have planted the truth in our hearts, You have turned on a Light that either accuses us or excuses us.