Pablo Mendez, 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)
Now that we are drawing closer to Advent, may I, Lord, continue to love you with my small gift of love. Especially now, as I prepare to speak to you, grant me the grace to desire nothing more than to find you... Grant me the grace to share in the joy of your incarnation!
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 21:1-4
At that time, looking up, Jesus saw some rich people pouring into the money boxes in the temple. And he saw a poor widow casting in two small coins, and he said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. For these give to God out of their surplus; but she, in her poverty, has given all that she had to live on”.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
In today's Gospel, Jesus praises a poor widow who knows how to share what she has to live on. The image presented in this story does not seem to be so alien to our reality; on many occasions we see gestures that are applauded by many for the amounts that are moved in favor of various causes and people.
However, Jesus' gaze goes further and highlights a simple, but radical, donation of one who does not seek honor or prestige; Jesus has eyes for both cases, but his tenderness and recognition rest on the solidarity of the poor widow, who is capable of committing her own livelihood with what she gives; the anonymous widow represents the true spirituality of the followers of Jesus.
She gives herself, in a total surrender into the hands of God, placing all her trust in Him, not in riches or power. She has no knowledge of the law like the scribes, but practices the law of love. From the gesture that Jesus highlights, among other things, we are called to think about what should move us to share, to give and to give ourselves.
«The poor are those who are bent double, like beggars who bend down to beg. But the widow is also poor, who anoints with her fingers the two small coins that were all she had that day to live on. The widow's anointing to give alms goes unnoticed in the eyes of all but Jesus, who looks with kindness on her littleness. With her, the Lord is able to fulfill fully his mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the poor. Paradoxically, the disciples hear the good news that such people exist. She, the generous woman, did not even know that she had “appeared in the Gospel” - that is, that her gesture would be published in the Gospel -: the joyful announcement that her actions “weigh” in the Kingdom and are worth more than all the riches of the world, she lives it from within, like so many saints “next door”».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, April 18, 2019).
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.
Pay special attention to the signs of God's love on this day.
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.
