Cristian Gutierrez, LC
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)
I want, Lord, to prepare for you a good place in my heart during this Advent. I want to share with you this time of intimacy. You know better than anyone else what I am, what I need, what I want, and for this reason I place everything in your hands. I love you and I want to love you more. Increase my faith, my hope, my love. Let me come into your presence and know you a little more. You know everything, Lord, you know that I love you.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 21:29-33
At that time, Jesus proposed this comparison to his disciples: “Look at the fig tree and the other trees. When you see them begin to bear fruit, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see the things I have told you about, you know that the kingdom of God is near. I assure you that before this generation dies, all this will be fulfilled. Heaven and earth may cease to exist, but my words will not cease to be fulfilled”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
How important it is, Lord, to discover your action in my life! In this passage you invite the disciples to pay attention to the signs of the times that you prophesy because they are the sign that your Kingdom is near. But this is not something from the past, when you prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem. Nor is it something only of the end of the world. It is an invitation of today, of the here and now.
You invite me to discover, in all the daily events of my life, your provident hand that leaves me messages. Messages of love, of affection, of tenderness, of mercy, of patience, of forgiveness, of exigency.
As a Christian, I believe that nothing in my life happens by chance, by the force of the stars, by the horoscope. The signs of my life are not sought outside of it, but within it. Not in the movement of the stars, in a deck of cards and all those things. I discover your messages in the look of my parents, in the smile of the children, in the conversation with a friend, in the rest of the night, in the beauty of the dawn of a new day that you give me, in the signs of affection of my spouse, in the responsibilities that I fulfill with dedication.
The heavens and the earth will pass away but your words will not, because they continue to echo in all the events of my existence. How blind I am that I do not know how to decipher your messages in the signs of my life!
Life, health, work, family, friends, meetings, breaks, casual encounters...in all these things you leave me a message that you want me to receive and assimilate. Give me, Lord, a supernatural spirit that allows me to contemplate you present and at work in my life. In this Advent of preparation for your coming, may my daily actions be the best preparation for Christmas.
«Many are still waiting to meet Jesus, the only Redeemer of mankind, and believers are challenged by many situations of injustice and moral and material distress. Such an urgent mission requires a personal and communitarian conversion. Only hearts fully open to the action of grace are capable of interpreting the signs of the times and of receiving the appeal of humanity in need of hope and peace».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, February 18, 2017).
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.
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.
In the evening I will thank God for all the good, and the not so good, that has happened to me this day.
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.
