H. Francisco Posada, L.C.
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 who are Father of all men, help me in my vocation to be a father, that I may see your presence in every «gift» that I find in my life and that I may thank you for your love, made flesh, which I can feel.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 9, 46-50
One day an argument arose among the disciples as to who was the greatest among them. When Jesus realized what they were arguing about, he took a little child, placed him beside him and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. Indeed, the least among you all, he is the greatest”.
Then John said to him, “Master, we saw one who was casting out demons in your name; but we forbade him, because he does not walk with us.” But Jesus answered, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against you is for you.”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
We surely remember our childhood as a time in our lives full of lessons to learn and time to play and enjoy things. Being like children is also an opportunity to «go back» in time and live as we did when we were little. It is a mystery how Jesus puts as «greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven» a child, first because a little one would not care so much about this position, but cares about enjoying himself, being with his friends, exploring the world and being good. It all starts because adults start arguing about who is the best.
Another way of seeing Christ's unexpected response is to consider this «Kingdom of Heaven» as a family in which the children occupy a privileged place, respecting the due differences that exist between parents and their children, but in a way that only occurs in the family, the youngest is the most important.
Without taking away any merit from the parents who are very important in the lives of their children, God is also present and we must recognize it; all things come to us from God and to receive His gifts is to receive Him.
«Whoever listens to Jesus, whoever strives to follow him, even if it costs, becomes a child of God and begins to truly resemble the Father in heaven. We become capable of things we would never have thought we could say or do, and of which we would have been ashamed, but which now give us joy and peace. We no longer need to be violent, with words and gestures; we discover ourselves capable of tenderness and kindness; and we feel that all this does not come from us but from Him, and therefore we do not boast about it, but are grateful.
There is nothing greater and more fruitful than love: it confers on the person all his dignity, while, on the contrary, hatred and revenge diminish it, disfiguring the beauty of the creature made in the image of God.»
(Angelus of H.H. Francis, February 24, 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.
Give time to a child, younger cousin, etc., playing with him/her.
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.
