I will give priority to my relationship with Christ

by Father Edward Hopkins, LC | Source: Catholic.net

Luke 17:26-37

Introductory Prayer:

I believe in you, Lord, my companion and strength. I believe that you come out to meet me each day, asking me to depend more on you and less on creatures. I hope in you, Lord, as the one who fills my longing to love and be loved. I love you here and now with my prayer and with my desire to be faithful and generous in the little things you ask of me.

Petition:

Lord, help me to put you first in my life.

1. They Were Eating and Drinking:

In the time of Noah and of Lot, God's judgment was said to come down upon man. Yet the real moment of judgment for each one of us comes immediately upon our own death. It is then that the kingdom will be fully revealed to us, and it will be decided whether we will be part of it or not. But it is in the course of my own life that my option for being received into the kingdom is decided. God comes to me today. How will I respond? My response now and each day determines my eternal place in the kingdom.

2. Do Not Return to What Was Left Behind:

In most disasters people have little chance to collect belongings; those who try are often lost as a result. The same will be true of the Final Judgment or at our own death; when Jesus comes, will I be ready? What do I most cherish? What I must hold on to is my relationship with Christ. And this implies in so many ways losing my life here. Do I live with the attitude of losing my life a little more each day, detaching myself from things, activities and people, so as to be freer to love, serve and be with Christ?

3. Where the Body Is?

Where Lord? the disciples ask; where will the day of the Son of man take place? It will take place, says Jesus, wherever you are. Whether we die and encounter Christ in a personal judgment or are alive to encounter the Lord at his Second Coming and the Final Judgment, the reality is the same. Standing next to a saint or a sinner will not alter our fate. Who we know or what contacts we have will do little. Where we are in our relationship with Christ will be the only real determining factor. Where am I, Lord, today, in relationship with you? May this be my only concern!

Conversation with Christ:

Lord Jesus, increase my desire to live my life in close relation with you.

Order all my activities according to your will,

and my relationships according to your heart.

I want whatever you want, because you want it,

the way you want it, as long as you want it (Prayer of Pope Clement XI).

Resolution:

I will give priority to my relationship with Christ. I will make prayer my first act today before every meal.

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