Hiram Samir Galán Jaime, 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)
Lord, every time I go forward without you, the falls and stumbles are almost immediately apparent, so I begin my prayer trusting that your mercy will make a difference in this prayer and in my life. Thank you for always being with me.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 14:1-12
At that time, King Herod heard what they were saying about Jesus and said to his courtiers, “It is John the Baptist, who has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him”. Herod had seized John and put him in chains in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John told Herod that he was not allowed to have her as his wife. And although he wanted to take her life, he was afraid of the people, because they believed that John was a prophet. But Herod's birthday came, and Herodias“ daughter danced in front of everyone and Herod liked her so much that he swore to give her whatever she asked. She, on the advice of her mother, said to him, ”Give me, on this platter, the head of John the Baptist." The king was grieved, but because of his oath and not to be displeased with the guests, he ordered it to be given to her; and then he had John's head beheaded in prison. So they brought the head on a platter, gave it to the young woman, and she took it to her mother. Then John's disciples came, took up the body, buried it, and then went and told Jesus.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Listening to Herod's cowardice in the face of the request of the daughter of Herodias, we are left with a feeling of bitterness and weariness because we know that, in spite of having him locked up, Herod did not want to kill John the Baptist.
But what is it that really bothers us? Why is it common to hear that what we can least tolerate in others is hypocrisy and cowardice? I think it is precisely what concerns us most directly, because we have all been cowards and hypocrites at one time or another.
I would even dare to say that we have killed the reputation of many people because of our cowardice. For example, when we have kept silent about truths that compromised the reputation and dignity of other people, or worse, when we have invented lies in order not to be harmed in a conflict situation, affecting and involving others to get off scot-free.
Lord, how different are your thoughts from our thoughts, your justice from our justice. Teach us to come out of our selfishness and always seek the truth that leads us to you, even if at times this means the necessary way of the cross and self-denial.
«Herod sowed death to defend his own well-being, his own soap bubble. And this keeps repeating itself... Let us ask the Lord to remove whatever is left of Herod in our hearts; let us ask the Lord for the grace to weep for our indifference, to weep for the cruelty that is in the world, in us, also in those who in anonymity make socio-economic decisions that make dramas like this possible.».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, July 8, 2013).
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.
I will strive to convey the value of truth to the people closest to me during 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.
