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, you are my Savior and Redeemer. I believe that at this very moment you were waiting for me to leave everything to have a moment of prayer, that is why I approach you with faith, trust and much love. I offer you this meditation for those who are afraid to approach you.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 9, 18-26
Thus he was speaking to them, when a magistrate came and fell down before him, saying, «My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hands on her, and she will live.» Jesus got up and followed him and his disciples. At this a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the hem of his garment. For she said to herself, «If I only touch his garment, I shall be saved.» Jesus turned and saw her and said to her, «Courage, daughter, your faith has made you well. And the woman was cured from that moment. When Jesus came to the magistrate's house and saw the flute-players and the people in an uproar, he said, »Go away! The girl is not dead; she is asleep.« And they mocked him. But when the people were driven away, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the news of the event spread throughout the whole district.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Jesus Christ is always available to the troubled man or woman. For Him we are all important, whether you are a magistrate or a housewife. He always waits for us and welcomes us with gentleness and attention, but he asks us to have faith in his person. And this is the attitude with which these two characters in the Gospel approach the Lord to ask for a grace, to hope for consolation, despite the adverse conditions they were facing: the death of a daughter and a lifelong illness.
What is marvelous is the certainty of asking the Lord for things that seem impossible, having the certainty that they will be heard and betting on a happy outcome. With Jesus Christ there are always resources, there is no end to the options. Not even death can tear the hope born of faith, because God has conquered death and is the guarantor of our hope. That is why the magistrate does not stop before the death of his daughter and turns to the Lord, with the certainty that by laying his hands on her she will live.
And so we come to the key point of this Gospel text: life. We all desire a life free from sickness, disease, anguish and death. The woman who was sick with a flow of blood, after being cured, was “saved” - the Gospel says - and what is it to be saved if not to be preserved from death, from sickness, from the weaknesses proper to our human condition, in order to live a life where none of these things happen?
Therefore, whoever seeks Jesus really seeks to “save his life and the lives of others” by giving meaning to his existence that saves him from death and gives him strength in sickness.
Therefore, our daily duty is to give meaning to our lives and to live to give meaning to the lives of others. How many lonely people are there around us because no one has a word of affection for them!
As a consequence of this, we must touch Jesus Christ on the border of his cloak and take him to those people who are already lying like walking corpses without having died. He is Life. And Life can be brought to them very easily: with a good testimony, with charity, with a sacrifice, asking for them in prayer, taking them to a priest, inviting them to the sacraments, etc. There are a thousand ways to bring Jesus Christ to others. This is the true treasure that remains forever, because everything we do for them is time well invested, especially if we are bringing them Life.
May it never happen to us to regret the death of someone we know because we failed to do them a good thing we could have done for them. What a pity to have to say in front of a coffin: if you had not gone away I could have taken your life...
«The man or woman who has faith trusts in God: trust! Paul, in a dark moment of his life, said: ‘I know whom I have trusted in’ in God, in the Lord Jesus! Trust: and this leads us to hope. Just as the confession of faith leads us to worship and praise of God, trusting God leads us to an attitude of hope. There are many Christians with a hope that is too watered down, not strong: a weak hope. Why? Because they do not have the strength and courage to entrust themselves to the Lord. But if we Christians believe, confessing the faith, keeping it, keeping the faith and trusting in God, in the Lord, we will be victorious Christians. And this is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith!.
(Homily of H.H. Francis, January 10, 2014).
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.
Pray for sick people, especially those who are close to 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.
