Presence
The more we call on God, the more we can feel God's presence.
Day by day we are drawn closer to the loving heart of God.
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 only ever want what is best for me.
Consciousness
Lord, grant that I may always desire to spend time in your presence.
May I not forget your goodness to me. Guide me to share your blessings with others.
The Word of God John 15:9-17
Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another."
Some thoughts on today's scripture
The core of the Christian message is love, God loves me! How is it to sit with this reality? If we could grasp God’s unconditional love for us, life would be radically a journey of joy.
God’s love is not a clinging love but an outreaching love, a love which wants the wellbeing of the other – unconditionally. This is the love which Jesus extends to us and which we are called to extend to others. To accept that God loves me is also to accept the reality that God loves all others in the same way. I am called to love myself and others, and it is clear from the Gospel that I am called to love the poor, the excluded, and the marginalised in a special way. I am also called to care for the earth, described by Pope Francis as “our common home”; which God has entrusted us.
To have heard this message of God’s love is a huge privilege but it is also a huge responsibility as it is a message which the whole world needs to hear. We are all called to spread this message by the witness of our lives.
Conversation
It can be hard to let go; of our plans, our desires, our sense of being in control. The Lord asks us to trust in him and to go where he leads us, to serve and to minister in his name. Letting go in Christ is not easy, yet if we allow him into our hearts, he will transform our lives. Let us pray today for the gift of trust.
Conclusion
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Pope's Prayer Intention for 2020
Pope Francis has a monthly prayer intention for each month, each with a short video.
This month's intention is:
MAY
For Deacons
We pray that deacons, faithful in their service to the Word and the poor, may be an invigorating symbol for the entire Church.
Please click on the link to view the monthly prayer intention: https://daily-prayers.org/popes-monthly-intentions/pope-francis-2020-monthly-intentions/
office@stmarysinfschool.org.uk
