Daily Prayer: a resource of Forward Movement

The Forward Day by Day Meditation for May 24, 2013

We post a Forward Day by Day Meditation for every day of the year - and we invite you to consider them and talk about them here. If you'd like to comment, please register for an account at Facebook. By checking the "Post to Facebook" box when commenting, you'll be able to find and quickly link back to this page from your Facebook account. You can also find the past week's Meditations in the box at right (or below, for mobile users), or search for previous entries on the Archives page.

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FRIDAY, May 24 Ember Day

Psalm 16. You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

I am struck by the diversity, the breadth and depth of today’s readings. In the psalms, we have songs of trust, yet also words of misery and lament. In Ruth, we hear a poignant story of steadfast human friendship. In 1 Timothy we receive practical advice on the maintenance of community. Finally, in Luke we read of a miraculous healing. There is so much here, in one day’s random sampling of God’s Word!

This is one of the greatest gifts of the Bible, the Word of God passed down to us through the generations. God speaks in many ways to all parts and seasons of our lives. We have all had times when we trusted deeply in God and times when we felt God-forsaken. Most of us have experienced the holiness of friendship and how it sustains us when life is hard. Practical advice abounds in our society, and we know how that benefits us too. Finally, we all need to be reminded of the wonder of Christ’s transformative, healing presence.

In the biblical witness, we are sustained along the “path of life.” Where in these readings does God speak to you today?

PRAY for the Dioceses of North Kigezi and North Mbale (Uganda)

Today the Church remembers Jackson Kemper, First Missionary Bishop in the United States, 1870.

Ps 16, 17 * 22; Ruth 4:1-17; 1 Timothy 5:17-22(23-25); Luke 14:1-11