We are all invited to become “members of the household of God” in these three daily readings. When reflecting on the Responsorial Psalm I imagine angels in heaven blaring trumpets to awaken all of God’s people to listen to His word. This creates a sense of joy within me. The fact that Jesus specifically calls each of His Apostles by name emphasizes God’s desire for an intimate relationship with everyone even with sinners such as Judas Iscariot.

I often tend to focus so much on Jesus’ actions that I fail to notice that Jesus prays alone often. In this reading from Luke’s Gospel, not only does Jesus go up to the mountain to pray, but also He spends the entire night in prayer!

Sometimes I question the importance of prayer in my life. I find prayer to be such a humbling experience, one of total trust in God. Even Jesus needed to pray! He depended on the Holy Spirit to guide Him through all of His actions even in His death on the cross. My life is lacking when I fail to acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s presence. When I am rushing from one activity to the next with little time to eat, think, or relax I feel empty at the end of the day. However, when I allow myself the time to pray spontaneously throughout the day I feel more complete. Simply gazing at a beautiful sunset or admiring the changing leaves now during the autumn season allows me to refocus my mind and actions. The Holy Spirit is present even in these simple observations of mine which I now recognize as prayer. God has already welcomed me, and I freely choose to become “a fellow citizen,” God’s “dwelling place.”