St. Bartholomew, Apostle.
Br. Juan Pablo García Hincapié, L.C.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Christ, our King, Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Lord, today I am in your presence and I want to remember that moment in which you called me to serve you. Give me the grace that you may be my help at every moment and that I may be able to meet you through this prayer.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to John 1:45-51
At that time, Philip met Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses wrote in the law and also the prophets. It is Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph”. Nathanael replied, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip answered him, “Come and see.”.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said, “This is a true Israelite in whom there is no duplicity.” Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you when you were under the fig tree.” Nathanael answered, “Teacher, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel.” Jesus answered him, “You believe, for I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things. Then he added, ”Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Today's Gospel presents us with Christ who wants to meet Nathanael. How great is the love of the Master who goes out to meet him! Let us pause to think how many times in our lives we have had different encounters, but few of them have marked our existence.
The encounter with Christ radically changes Nathanael's life. It even reaches the depths of his heart and transforms it because he is challenged by Love. We can always be curious to know how Christ saw Nathanael under the fig tree. We can think that it was a look full of Love. Christ thus wants to manifest to us, from the first encounter, that personal Love with which he loves us.
It is worth remembering those moments in which God touches our heart, because they are the treasures that make us walk, even in times of difficulty. Let us follow God with the joy of knowing that He is always near to guide us.
«The kenosis [emptying of the will to accept the will of God] of Christ is not a thing of the past, but a present guarantee to feel and discover his active presence in history. A presence that we cannot and do not want to remain silent about because we know and have experienced that He alone is “Way, Truth and Life”. The kenosis of Christ reminds us that God saves in history, in the life of each person, that this is also his own history and there he comes to meet us. It is important, brothers, that we are not afraid to approach and touch the wounds of our people, which are also our own wounds, and to do this in the Lord's way.»
(Address of H.H. Francis, January 24, 2019).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Give me the opportunity to walk with you, Lord, from the first moment you call me. May my heart be generous to continue to carry your name to my brothers and sisters, and may all my apostolic strength be the experience of Love that I have made of You.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
Today I am going to propose a visit to the Blessed Sacrament asking God to continue calling apostles to his Church.
Farewell
We thank You, Lord, for all Your benefits, You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
