Morning Prayer - Follow Me

Lord,

You are the one who seeks me first, even before the day truly begins. Just as You found Philip and said to him, “Follow me!”, so today You call me too.

Thank you for this invitation. When I find You, when I truly encounter You, an irresistible desire awakens within me to tell others—just as Philip, full of excitement, ran to Nathanael.

“We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (John 1:45)

But, Lord, how often I encounter a wall of doubt—both in others and in my own heart. How quickly I judge by appearances, by origins, by the prejudices I harbor.

I, too, sometimes wonder, as I look upon the humility and simplicity in which You reveal Yourself:

“Can anything good come from there?” (John 1:46)

Lord, heal my prejudices

I ask You, heal me of this narrow-mindedness. You do not look at where I come from or what my limitations are. You see beyond the facade I show to the world.

“People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

Thank you for knowing me intimately, even before I call upon You. You see me under my ‘fig tree,’ in my hidden moments of fear and hope. I long to be like Nathanael, a true man, in whom there is no deceit.

“Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.” (Psalm 32:2)

When You look at me this way, when You address me with love, all my doubts fall away. Then I can confess from the heart, as Nathanael did when he met Your gaze:

“Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” (John 1:49)

This is the faith of the Church, this is the faith of Peter, this is my faith:

“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)

Teach me to love as you love

All of this, Lord, flows from Your immeasurable love. Your coming into the world is the greatest proof of Your affection for me, for all of us.

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9)

You went to the very end; You gave Yourself, so that we might have life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

This love calls me to become more sensitive to the people around me, especially to those in need.

Help me to recognize in every person the question, ‘Where are you staying, Lord?’ and to know how to answer them with the invitation: ‘Come and see.’

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)

In Your love, all barriers fall, all prejudices, all differences.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)

Lord, thank You for the promise that faith in You opens the door to something greater. You do not stop at simply knowing me; You promise me an open heaven, a constant connection between heaven and earth.

“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28:12)

May I live in this promise of Yours, which surpasses all I can imagine.