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, I came to you as that young man who thought he was very good. I want to confirm what I have to do to gain eternal life, what I have to change, what I have to do... Give me the grace to know how to listen to you and to have the courage to be detached from material goods, but above all, from myself, so that I can give myself to your love and live charity.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 19:16-22
At that time, a man came to Jesus and asked him, “Master, what good deed must I do to obtain eternal life? Jesus answered him, ”Why do you ask me what is good? Only one is good. Look, if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. He asked him, "Which ones? Jesus answered him, "You shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself". The boy said to him, "I have fulfilled all these things; what do I lack? Jesus answered him, "If you want to go all the way, sell what you have, give the money to the poor, so that you will have treasure in heaven, and then come with me. When the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he was rich.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
What should I do with my life, run away from it or make the most of it? The young man in the gospel felt a restlessness in the depths of his soul. He had decided to break with sin. Surely he would have friends who took refuge in selfishness, pleasures, violence, indifference to the suffering of others. But he was not like that. He wanted to reach eternal life, and so he approached Jesus to ask him what he should do.
Have you ever asked yourself this question, and what was the answer? Was it a response of love? Because this young man, although he was well disposed, did not know how to live up to it and went away sad. What a contradiction! He possessed many goods, and instead of being joyful, he left with a face marked by sadness and disappointment. Deep down, he was not ready to say yes to Jesus and chose to follow himself.
Following Jesus demands effort, detachment from what one loves most. It means sacrifice, but also joy and human fulfillment. We should not be afraid of what the authentic living of our Christianity demands of us, because we are not alone. Will Christ not abandon us? Will he not accompany us with his sacraments? Will he not console us every time we speak to him in prayer? Following Christ is the way to make the most of life.
«The young man is sad when Jesus asks him to sell his wealth. Suddenly, joy and hope disappear in this rich young man, because he does not want to give up his wealth. Attachment to riches is at the beginning of all kinds of corruption, everywhere: personal corruption, corruption in business, also in small commercial corruption, that which takes 50 grams off the exact weight, political corruption, corruption of education .... And why? Because those who live attached to their own powers, to their own riches, believe they are in paradise. They are closed, they have no horizon, they have no hope. In the end they will have to give up everything. There is a mystery in the possession of riches. Riches have the capacity to seduce, to lead us to a seduction and make us believe that we are in an earthly paradise. However, that earthly paradise is a place without horizon, to live without horizon is a sterile life, to live without hope is a sad life. Attachment to riches saddens us and makes us sterile. I use the term “attachment” and not “to manage wealth well”, because wealth is for the common good, for all. And if the Lord gives it to a person, it is for that person to do it for the good of all, not for himself, not to close it in his heart, which then becomes corrupt and sad».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, May 25, 2015).
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 be present today with the people around me, I renounce having my cell phone with me all day long. And when I go to pray, always leave it where it won't interrupt me.
Farewell
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.
