Petition: Lord, increase my trust in you. 

1.  He Saw a Man Called..."  Christ sees each one of us and walks by the tax booth of each of our lives. He knows us, better than we know ourselves. He looks us in the eyes with love, and there in his eyes we can see the great hope that he has for each of us. As he sees us, he sees us as we are and as we shall be. He sees our present make-up and the future hope we bring. Our Lord does not see us simply as we are, but also as we shall be. He looks at us with the hope that we shall lead a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Ephesians 4:1). He looks to bring people closer to him. He looks at us and gazes into our eyes so that we might see him and find the fulfillment of our lives in him. He sees us so that we may come together around him (CCC, 542).  

2.  "He Said to Him, 'Follow me.'"  Christ stands at the heart of this gathering of men into the family of God (CCC, 542). Christ seeks to draw everyone to himself, because only with him is man truly happy. We can run after the latest pleasure, the newest fad, the hottest trend, but what happiness will that bring us? There is nothing greater, more fulfilling, more challenging, more exciting, than that of following our Lord.   When our Lord says, "Follow me," he is inviting us to go out into deep water. His invitation is a challenge and an opportunity to be really fulfilled in life. Nothing can compare with the invitation of our Lord. Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians. 3:7-8). 

3.  "And He Got Up and Followed Him."  Our heart is restless, until it rests in you, (St. Augustine, The Confessions, 1.1.1) One who takes up the invitation to follow Christ experiences the depth and profundity of this experience of Christ. One who responds to the invitation of Christ has responded to the greatest invitation imaginable. Anyone who has truly gotten up and followed Christ has not regretted the decision. Look at Matthew and how excited he was. He was so thrilled about this opportunity that he celebrated with his friends. No one can bring greater joy to one's life than that of Christ. He is the meaning of our lives. To get up and follow him, to leave the tax booth behind, brings to a soul the greatest possible happiness, for Christ is the fulfillment of life.

Conversation: Lord Jesus, what a great joy it is to follow you. What an opportunity you give me with this invitation to be with you. Help me to say yes to your invitation, knowing that your invitation far surpasses anything for which I can hope or desire. At times, Lord I can feel weak, like your invitation is something beyond me or something too great. Lord, in these moments, help me to rise up to your greatness and to leave behind my littleness.

Questionnaire:

1.  What do I sense when I experience Christ in my prayer?  Do I sense something that I wish to answer, or do I sense something that I find difficult?  Do I abandon what I sense, or do I pursue it?

2. How do I answer the inspirations that I perceive? 

3. When I respond positively to Christ's invitation, how joyful am I?  How happy am I to be able to follow Christ?