Opening Prayer: Lord,
make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is
despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. ~St. Francis of Assisi
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life. ~St. Francis of Assisi
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
Journal: What does it look like to do ministry the way it is
pictured in these verses? Who has
invested in you in this way?
Reflection:
More and more, the desire grows in me simply to
walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play
ball, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time and the
freedom to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something
significant, or be a part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my
time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that
prevent me from walking the streets. It
is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around the urgent cause,
and not to feel that you are working directly for social or spiritual
progress. But I wonder more and more if
the first thing shouldn't be to know people by name, to eat and drink with
them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with
words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love
them. (Gracias! by Henri
J.M. Nouwen)
Prayers
Closing Prayer: Today, O Lord—let me put right before
interest; let me put others before self; let me put things of the Spirit before
things of the body; let me put the attainment of noble ends before the
enjoyment of present pleasures; let me put principle above reputation; let me
put you before all else. Amen. (A
Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie)
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