TUESDAY In Catholic EducationWeek – THE HOPE WITHIN US
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?”Luke 24:32
CALL TO PRAYER
When the disciples lost their friend, Jesus, they felt abandoned. They did not understand how to move forward. In other words, they had no hope. They meet a stranger who brings the hope back to them. Reflecting on the experience of meeting Christ again, one of the apostles asks, “Were not our hearts burning when we heard him speak?” Hope is a conviction; it leaves us with burning hearts. God gives us the gift of hope, dwelling within us. In the reflection today, remember this phrase, “Were not our hearts burning?” There are prophets among us every day who ignite the fire within us as God works through them.
Let us begin with the Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
OPENING PRAYER
God of all people, your Son brought hope to the world. Jesus showed us that God’s love is inclusive and there for everyone. Help us to see this hope alive in our world today. When we feel defeated by the darkness that humanity can inflict upon the world, help us to remember that hope dwells within us, through the limitless love of our God.Amen.
SCRIPTURE: Luke 24: 28-32
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
CLOSING PRAYER
God of love, we thank you for the gifts that you give so freely. Help us to fully embrace the gift of hope that is within us, and strengthen us to bring this hope to others. We make our prayer through your Son, Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit.Amen.
“In a world which ignores the human thirst for God, we are called to share the living waters of our faith.”
This Moment of Promise, 1989