H. Vicente Toledo, 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)
Jesus, You know everything, You know my every misery, You know that I come to this moment of prayer without something to offer You other than my weaknesses, but I know that Your mercy and compassion are at work. Transform my heart and my whole life.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 8:1-4
At that time, when Jesus came down from the mountain, a great multitude followed him. Suddenly a leper came to him, fell down and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can cure me. Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ”I will; you are healed.
Immediately he was cleansed of leprosy. Jesus said to him, “Do not tell this to anyone. But go now and present yourself to the priest and bring the offering prescribed by Moses to prove your healing.”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
We are currently living in a time when trust in God's will is key. The attitude of the leper should be the attitude of each one of us in our daily lives. God knows everything, He knows much better than we do, what we need, what are our sufferings, what are the wounds in our lives. But it is up to us to trust fully in what He has prepared for each one of us. Our plans are often not God's plans, because He is looking for our eternal happiness, not just the fleeting one.
Jesus knew what the leper wanted, the leper knew that Jesus could do it, that He was the only one who could cure him. But he does not come to demand, as we can often do, to ask for what we think is what we need. But he comes with an attitude of trust and humility. Lord, my will be done, but if you are willing, you can heal my heart. He can do all things, for Him nothing is impossible. Let us allow God to act in our lives!
And what is God's attitude towards our pleas? It is evident, God is not limited in compassion. His gaze is compassionate and merciful. Always, whatever the situation, he looks at us with eyes of love. He listens to us as attentively as possible. He always allows us to speak first, to explain things to Him, as if He did not know everything. And He responds to us with a token of love. Sometimes His answer may be evident as in this case with the leper, but other times we may not see it instantly, we may not understand it, He may not answer us as we want, but that does not mean that He does not answer us with love and sure that it is the best for us. Let us trust in God's will, in His loving answer to each of our requests!
«In that “if you will” is the prayer that attracts God's attention and is the solution. It is a challenge, but it is also an act of trust. I know that He can and that is why I entrust myself to Him. But why did this man feel it within himself to pray this prayer? Because he saw how Jesus acted. This man had seen the compassion of Jesus. Compassion, not pity, is a Gospel refrain that has the faces of the widow of Nain, the Good Samaritan, the father and the prodigal son.
Compassion involves, comes from the heart and involves and leads you to do something. Compassion is to suffer with, to take the suffering of the other upon oneself to resolve it, to heal it. And this was the mission of Jesus. Jesus did not come to preach the law and then leave. Jesus came in compassion, that is, to suffer with and for us and to give his own life. Jesus» love is so great that compassion led him precisely to the cross, to give his life."
(Homily H.H. Francis, January 16, 2020, in Santa Marta)
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.
Lord I know you speak to me, I know I can hear your voice, but I will have moments of silence in my day to listen to your will in my life.
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.
