O God my Heavenly Father, I do not enter into Your presence through prayer as often as I should, neither do I dwell on Your great love for me; or allow You to embrace me fully with Your grace and love through Your Word.
Had I done all these most fervently I would not be so inward looking or where I am at in my faith today. Praying for Your help only from one crisis to the next. Or to simply battle temptation one after the other and resisting sin and sinful inclinations.
I see more clearly now that I should LIVE fully in Your love according to Your most Holy will for me. This comes naturally when Your Kingdom comes first and You reign in my heart. Then my prayer to You will be One in full Communion with You as I seek to love my brethren into Your Kingdom. You O most loving Heavenly Father will always be by side through it all. Father into Your hands I commend my spirit. Amen
First reading
Esther 4:17 ·
I am alone, Lord, and have no-one but you
Queen Esther took refuge with the Lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her. She besought the Lord God of Israel in these words:
‘My Lord, our King, the only one,
come to my help, for I am alone
and have no helper but you
and am about to take my life in my hands.
‘I have been taught from my earliest years, in the bosom of my family,
that you, Lord, chose
Israel out of all the nations
and our ancestors out of all the people of old times
to be your heritage for ever;
and that you have treated them as you promised.
‘Remember, Lord; reveal yourself
in the time of our distress.
‘As for me, give me courage,
King of gods and master of all power.
Put persuasive words into my mouth
when I face the lion;
change his feeling into hatred for our enemy,
that the latter and all like him may be brought to their end.
‘As for ourselves, save us by your hand,
and come to my help, for I am alone
and have no one but you, Lord.’
Gospel
Matthew 7:7-12
Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find
Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish? If you, then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.’
CatholicJules.net 