H. Edison Valencia, 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)
Lord, help to quench the thirst I have for You in this moment of prayer.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark 2, 1-12
The Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word spread that he was at home, and very soon so many people crowded together that there was no more room in front of the door. While he was teaching his doctrine, they wanted to present to him a paralytic, whom four of them were carrying. But when they could not come near Jesus because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof above where Jesus was, and through the hole they lowered the sick man on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you. Some of the scribes who were sitting there began to think, ”Why does this man speak like this? That is blasphemy; who can forgive sins but God alone?“.
Knowing what they were thinking, Jesus said to them, “Why do you think this way, which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say to him, ‘Get up, pick up your mat and go home’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,” he said to the paralytic, "I command you, 'Get up, pick up your mat and go home.
The man immediately got up, picked up his stretcher and walked out in full view of everyone, who were astonished and gave glory to God, saying, “We have never seen anything like it!”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Let us imagine that we are wandering in a desert and we have been there for a week, I think, and it must be so, that we must be very thirsty, surely we will want to find an oasis or rain to quench our thirst. Something similar is presented to us in the Gospel, when Jesus returns to Capernaum, the people were so many that they crowded at the door because they were thirsty for the Word of God. They had already drunk of the freshness of his words and wanted to refresh their souls with those words.
And I, where do I quench my «thirst»? After some of them had drunk from that fountain, they wanted to make others participate and that is when these four men took this paralytic, who was probably a friend of theirs, to him. Here, in this encounter, something wonderful happens as we already know, Jesus forgives him all his sins and cures his «paralysis», but tells him something very important: «take your mat and go». It is curious why Christ tells him «take your stretcher», and this is precisely so that he remembers the graces that God has done for him, that every time he sees that stretcher he remembers the many graces and blessings that on that day his great friend Jesus has done for him.
«And to this school of Jesus, physician and brother of those who suffer, you are called, you physicians who believe in him, members of his Church. You are called to approach those who are going through moments of trial because of illness. You are called to pay attention with gentleness and respect for the dignity and the physical and mental integrity of persons. You are called to listen attentively in order to respond with appropriate words that accompany the gestures of healing, making them more humane and therefore also more effective. You are called to encourage, to console, to lift up, to give hope. You cannot heal or be healed without hope; in this we are all in need and grateful to God, who gives us hope.»
(Address of H.H. Francis, June 22, 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.
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.
May I remember the graces that God has done in my life and be grateful for them. If possible in front of the Blessed Sacrament at the altar.
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.
