Memorial of St. Josephat [495] 2 John 4-9 Psalm 119:1, 2, 10, 11, 17, 18 Luke 17:26-37

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer

I start every morning with a walk with my dog Buster. It’s not a long, workout walk, but a walk at Buster’s pace. Though I grumble when it gets colder, the time outside as the world wakes also wakes me up and gives me time for a quick prayer, a quick review of what’s in store for me that day.  Today’s first reading from John made me think of that morning walk because the reading tells us that we must walk and love one another. “For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, as you heard from the beginning, in which you should walk.”

In the Psalm and the Gospel, we get a not-so-subtle reminder that we need to walk the good path every day, every minute. We are reminded of Noah and the flood and of Lot’s wife. We need to remember to do the right thing, even when it is uncomfortable or hard.  We need to remember that we don’t know when that moment will come. The Gospel quotes Jesus as saying,  “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.” The concept requires us to let go and to not look back, a scary proposition.

Taking the easy road might be tempting, but it’s not a path we want to take. The psalm offers some signposts for the right road, urging us to seek God with our hearts and to open our eyes to God.

That’s my prayer for today, that I seek God with my heart and that my eyes are opened to God all around me. Let me walk today with love and according to God’s commandments.