Opening Prayer
God of Love. I try so hard to love You! I try so hard to please You! I work so hard to earn Your love. Yet it is humbling how freely given is your love. It is humbling and freeing to be confronted by the more powerful truth that You are Love – that You love us in Jesus, not for what we do, but simply because You love us! I stand silent before the awesome power of being loved!!! You take the initiative – You empty Yourself in love, offering Yourself to us in Jesus. Only when I love am I of You! When I love, Jesus is loving in and through me. In the Mark Gospel, you showed us the way of love – the way of Eucharist – the way of Your reign: that sharing what we have is food for others. You teach us not to hoard the resources You have given us, not to put our personal needs before the most basic needs of others – but to trust Your loving providence, with the faith and hope that there will be more than enough for everyone. Loving and Generous Jesus, sometimes I think it would be easier if you just intervened and multiplied things to feed everyone. But you demand to work your miracles and create your reign through us, sharing and establishing justice. Your Kingdom of love is a kingdom of generosity and justice. Today, make me as loving and self-emptying as you are! Be love through me!
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