Matthew 5:43-48 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,[a] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
The reality is the cycle of sin occurs for all of us. O Lord, do you hear the humility in me to desire change, closeness, intimacy and repent of my sinfulness? Yes, sweet Jesus, create in me a clean heart, put a steadfast spirit within me. My parents weren’t perfect, nor their parents and it goes back and back. You know I saw this when I worked on the genealogy this past winter; I saw how families moved and probably left others behind, or had multiple marriages, deaths, etc. They had their problems for sure. Yet I also saw by your grace that our Catholic faith stayed active, even if at times it might have been a trickle. I am so blessed to know someone in my ancestry was praying, it give me great hope to seek you always. To pray for those, past, present and future. To give my line to you, to consecrate them to your Sacred Heart. As I open my heart this week – correction – as you open it with the knowledge I am receiving – you are helping me to see a bigger picture of how to walk with you – for a greater good, than myself, for the fidelity and sanctity of all my family, and to always turn back to you in repentance.
You call us to the Mass. You call us to the banquet of your body and blood. You call me to love, you model the effortless motions of loving not only those easy to love but the difficult, hungry, dirty, tired and worrisome. You know who they are in my life and how I will sometimes avoid them for the energy they draw from me. But you ask me, how could I best love but by loving them? For you are in them, and you look back at me through them.
Help me to always recognize what I can do and then do it. Help me to not hold back because of my own insecurities or the inconveniences to plans it may cause. I want to be motivated by your love to offer myself to others and not do this for my own gain or admiration. I want to be your Saint but I often don’t want the pain from the fire of burning off my sinfulness. Help me to step outside of myself and let you enter fully into me so I can receive all you have and desire to give to me. Empty me of my iniquities and cleanse me from my sin. Call me to love today Lord. Mary, Mother of Mercy and our Mother, pray for us.
Prayer 616
Begin Discerning Direction 