Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
(Luke 14:13-14)
Lord, preserve me from ulterior motives! It is truly rewarding to give to those who are needy. Even in conversation, when I listen I sometimes feel that it will be my turn. Can I really pay attention when my thoughts wander to what I want to say? Help me to listen completely and actively, as I observed my friend, Sister Catherine, doing. When I was talking, she leaned toward me, nodding at times, her expression attentive, never interrupting. Please help me to listen to my friends and to you, as she did to me.