Monday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
1 Maccabees 1:10-15,41-43,54-57,62-64 | Psalm 118(119):53,61,134,150,155,158 | Luke 18:35-43
Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me, and let me see again.
Let me see to the heart of everyone I meet…
the bus driver who greets everyone, yet is greeted by no one,
the cleaner facing mountains of food detritus, strewn indiscriminately by uncaring diners,
the grandmother struggling with three squalling children and a loaded pram.
Let me see them as they really are, my own siblings in You.
Let me see their worries, their weariness, their need for just a little kindness in an unkind world.
And having seen all that, give me the courage to act…
to greet cheerfully when I board, and thank with a wave when I alight,
to leave the bones and fat of my meal neatly ensconced in the tray, then bus the entire lot,
to reach out and lift the jammed wheels out of the train gap, then fascinate the children with little antics to buy her some peace and quiet.
Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me, and let me see again. Let me not ignore the plight of those around me. Amen.