Ordinary Time 
Pause
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring love.
Where there is offense, let me bring pardon.
Where there is discord, let me bring union.
Where there is error, let me bring truth.
Where there is doubt, let me bring faith.
Where there is despair, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness, let me bring your light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi
Listen
At that very moment, Jesus recognized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”
His disciples said to him, “Don’t you see the crowd pressing against you? Yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” But Jesus looked around carefully to see who had done it.
The woman, full of fear and trembling, came forward. Knowing what had happened to her, she fell down in front of Jesus and told him the whole truth. He responded, “Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace, healed from your disease.”
Mark 5:30-34
Think
One of my favorite things to do is to sit in a crowded place and just “people watch.” Sometimes my watching turns into casual conversations. Much to my family’s dismay, I often return home with stories to tell of the people I have seen or struck up conversations with.
What always amazes me are the things I can learn when I take the time to really pay attention to those around me.
I am intrigued by the words in this passage — “But Jesus looked around carefully.” In the midst of a chaotic crowd on his way somewhere else, Jesus feels a touch. Instead of passing it off as unimportant, he took the time to look carefully. In this moment I envision Jesus as the best people-watcher ever. He looked… he noticed… he was keenly aware of those around him.
As you go about your busy day today, follow the example of Jesus. Look around carefully! Take notice. Even if for just a moment, allow your life to intersect with those around you. Often in those times, we discover God at work around us in ways we never imagined.
Dale Tadlock
Pray
God Who Sees, I am thankful that you know me and seek me out each day. Just as you “look around carefully” into my life and the life of others, help me to be more aware of those around me. Give me the courage to live my faith today in a way that notices the unseen, the forgotten, and those who need to be found. Amen.
Go
Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
Martin Luther King Jr.
