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)
My Jesus, I want to share this time of intimacy with You. I want to meet You and get to know You a little more. I give You my hands, my eyes, my feet, my mouth, my thoughts, my whole being, so that You may be my Lord and master. I trust in You because You never fail me. I want to love You more, Jesus, but I need Your grace, for without it I can do nothing, I am nothing. Increase my faith to discover You in the events of my life, in my brothers and sisters, in my inner self, in nature, in the Eucharist. Help me, Lord, and never leave me alone.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 7, 1-10
At that time, when Jesus had finished speaking to the people, he entered Capernaum. There was a Roman official there, who had a beloved servant who was sick and about to die. When he was told that Jesus was in the city, he sent to him some of the elders of the Jews to beg him to come and cure his servant. They, coming to Jesus, begged him earnestly, saying, “He deserves that you grant him this favor, for he loves our people and has even built us a synagogue.” Jesus set out with them. When he was near the house, the Roman official sent some friends to say to him, “Sir, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy that you should come into my house; that is why I did not even dare to come to you myself. It is enough for you to say one word, and my servant will be healed. For I, though I am a subordinate, have soldiers under me, and I say to one, “Go!” and he goes; to another, “Come!” and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this!” and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was filled with admiration, and turning to the people who were following him, he said, “Truly I tell you, I have not found so great a faith in Israel.” The envoys returned to the house and found the servant perfectly healthy.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Faith is a rich virtue to meditate on. It is faith that moves you, Jesus, on many occasions to act. It is a virtue that moves your heart, that impels you not to leave without action the request of those who have it.
Faith is a gift and a decision. It is received from you, but it also implies my effort, my work. The centurion believes that You can heal his servant, but he also acts according to what he believes. Faith goes beyond a belief, a family inheritance, a superstition. It is abandonment into your hands, it is surrender, it is donation, it is action. Faith is an act, it is the adherence of my will to yours, and this implies effort. Believing does not always come spontaneously, but requires a certain awareness. But without ever forgetting that faith, and the putting into action of this faith, is always your gift.
Faith is the theological virtue that allows me to discover you in all the moments and situations of my life: in the good and in the bad, in those that please me and in those that do not. It helps me to see you in nature, in my brothers and sisters, in my work. Faith enables me to receive everything from you as a gift of your love. Believing helps me to trust, and to believe and trust in someone is to love him.
Give me, Lord, a faith, not like that of the centurion, but a faith according to what I am, what I live, what I have, how and where I develop. A faith that impels me to live according to your plans.
«In the story it is said that he was very dear to his master and that he was sick, but it is not known what his serious illness was. In some way, we can also recognize ourselves in this servant. Each one of us is very dear to God, loved and chosen by him, and is called to serve, but above all we need to be healed inwardly. To be capable of service, one needs a healthy heart: a heart restored by God, one that feels forgiven and is neither closed nor hard. It will do us good to pray with confidence every day for this, to ask to be healed by Jesus, to become like him, who “no longer calls us servants, but friends”».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, May 29, 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.
During the day I will repeat this ejaculation: “Lord, increase my faith”.
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.
