St. Joseph the worker
H. Alexis Montiel, 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)
Give me always, O Lord, your bread of life.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to John 6, 52-59
At that time, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”.
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. As the Father, who sent me, possesses life, and I live because of him, so he who eats me will live because of me.
This is the bread which came down from heaven; it is not like the manna which their fathers ate, for they died. He who eats of this bread will live forever.”.
Jesus said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
The heart of Christ opens, tears open and is shared among each one of us. As a child, whenever I was asked what I wanted to ask God, my answer was: «I want to live forever». As I grew up I realized that it would not be possible not to die at all, I began to realize that life is fast, it is one and God gives it to me to be happy. But as I read this Gospel I realize that Christ's promise satisfies the desire that each one of us has: to live forever. This eternal life is not a hoax, it is not a hallucination, it is not a play for God to laugh at us, it is nothing of the sort. It is the promise of Christ's heart that in every Eucharist is given to us.
Some will think, «How do I know that is true?» I don't blame you if you think so. Think of the members of the synagogue in Capernaum, they all knew St. Joseph, how would they believe the carpenter's son? It's because it's not about the carpenter's son, it's about the son of God.
I invite you to look at your life and realize how many times God speaks to you and shows you how much he loves you in the people around you or, as Pope Francis would say, in the «saint next door.»
«Thus the Eucharist forms in us a grateful memory, because we recognize ourselves as children loved and satisfied by the Father; a free memory, because the love of Jesus, his forgiveness, heals the wounds of the past and relieves us of the memory of the injustices suffered and inflicted; a patient memory, because in the midst of adversity we know that the Spirit of Jesus remains in us. The Eucharist encourages us: even on the bumpiest road we are not alone, the Lord does not forget us and every time we go to him he comforts us with love. The Eucharist also reminds us that we are not individuals, but a body. As the people in the desert gathered the manna that fell from heaven and shared it as a family, so Jesus, Bread from heaven, summons us to receive it, receive it together and share it among us. The Eucharist is not a sacrament «for me,» it is the sacrament of many who form one body, the holy faithful people of God.» (Homily of H.H. Francis, June 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.
To thank a specific person for a moment when I have felt loved.
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.
