Rubén Tornero, 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)
Jesus, I thank you with all my heart for all that you have given me, especially this moment of intimacy with you. I come before you with all that I am and have. You well know that in my heart there are sorrows and joys; in my daily life, difficulties and good things... but there is nothing that does not come from you. Everything good that I have comes from your loving hands. Thank you, Jesus. Teach me to receive all that You want to give me.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to John 19:25-27
At that time, standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, his mother's sister, Mary of Clopas, and Mary the Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved so much, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son. Then he said to the disciple, ”Behold, your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Today, Jesus, you show me the exaggerated love you have for me: after giving me everything you had, when you had nothing left to leave me, you give me Mary, your mother, so that she may also be my mother.
You say to the Virgin: “Woman, there is your son”. In the person of John, the Church has always seen herself as the heir of that great treasure that is Mary... but what does Our Lady feel, what thoughts run through the heart of a mother who sees her Son die on a cross and receives all of humanity as her children?
Jesus, You have died for me, it was I who crucified You with and for my sins, and gave You up to scorn and death... And You give me your mother! You ask Our Lady to adopt me, your executioner! How can I approach Mary when I have just crucified You? With the same hand that slapped you and nailed you, will I caress her cheek? How will the same mouth that a short time ago shouted: “crucify him” now dare to say to the Virgin: “Mother, I love you”?
It is madness! And yet, Mary looks at me with her pure eyes bathed in tears and says to me: “Little child, if Jesus has forgiven you for all that you did to Him, I forgive you too. Come, do not be afraid or ashamed. I am not going to claim or reproach you for anything. I ask only one thing of you: Do not let the blood of my Son be in vain. He has died for You in the hope that You would love Him. If you do not know how to do it, come and I will teach you. I love you too and I only want the blood of my Jesus to give you eternal life.”.
«On Golgotha, she did not shrink from pain, but remained before the cross of Jesus and, by his will, became the Mother of the Church; after the Resurrection, she encouraged the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room in expectation of the Holy Spirit, who transformed them into courageous heralds of the Gospel. Throughout her life, Mary accomplished what the Church is asked to do: to make a perennial memorial of Christ. In her faith, we see how to open the door of our heart to obey God; in her self-denial, we discover how attentive we must be to the needs of others; in her tears, we find the strength to console those who suffer. In each of these moments, Mary expresses the richness of divine mercy, which goes out to meet every daily need».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, October 8, 2016).
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.
Today I am going to pray a rosary thanking Our Lady for the grace of being her child.
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.
