Most Loving Savior, I sometimes ask myself “are You on my side?” when I should be asking “am I on Your side?” Your death clearly demonstrated how far You were willing to go to show me the depths of Your love. How far short does my love for You fall … as I complain when I have to put myself out for You or others. As I take my stand with You, I see love overcoming my hate … hope replacing my despair … and creativity stymieing my destructive tendencies. My faith in You gives me faith for my future. When I stumble along my way, You consistently show me the path to a better life. If I long for answers to my dilemmas and problems, I need only go to the Scriptures to find them. Living without You leads me into darkness and what I need is Your light to help me grow and mature. My life built on Your love is filled with peace and joy.
Your loving call asks me to put away the trappings of the world, renounce the desires of my flesh and develop a deep and unwavering devotion to You alone. Your love challenges me to grow in holiness and to detach myself from my own will and the lies of the world. Your love calls me to grow in courage, strength and service to You and Your church. I find it easy to give in to discouragement because of the prevalence of sin, the disregard for life and the denigration of You and Your teachings that engulfs me each day. My heart and my mind tell me that if my outlook is to improve, I must become an ardent follower of Yours … growing in virtue and striving for holiness. I must reignite my passion and enthusiasm for You and grow in charity and love for others. I must come to understand that drawing closer to You is a daily process and I must not become weary from well-doing.
Help me learn from the accounts in the Scriptures where Your Apostles struggled against strong winds to get to a safe port. Their efforts were arduous, discouraging and tiring. However, in the midst of their struggles, You appeared and calmed the winds. So is it when I am struggling with my problems. You stand by me in the midst of my storm saying “stay brave, it is I, do not fear.” In Your presence, my anguish and turmoil dissipate the same way that the winds did for the Apostles. Help me keep my eyes fixed on You and, if I become weary from my struggles, fill me with Your strength so I can get through them. In the abundance of Your love, You sacrificed to the maximum to show me how important I was to You. Help me show You the depths of the love I have for You by my perseverance and reliance on You. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Mt 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and man.