H. Axel Hernandez, 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, help me to trust You without limits.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark 8, 1-10
On one of those days Jesus saw that many people were following him, and they had nothing to eat. Then he called his disciples to him and said to them, “I feel sorry for these people; they have been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home fasting, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come a long way.
His disciples answered him, “And from where can you get bread, here in an uninhabited place, so that so many people may eat?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They answered him, “Seven.”.
Jesus commanded the people to sit down on the ground, took the seven loaves, said the thanksgiving, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute. And they distributed them among the people.
They also had a few fish. Jesus blessed them also and commanded them to be distributed. The people ate until they were satisfied, and there were still seven baskets of leftovers. They numbered about four thousand. Jesus sent them away and then embarked with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Lord, how many times I limit myself when I see how few talents I have. I compare myself with other people and I get discouraged because I do not have what the other person has and I would like to have. You ask me to do something and I look at the few loaves and fishes I have. Clearly I am aware that with what I have on my own, I could not fulfill what you ask of me, and yet, going against all human logic, you ask me for what little I have so that I can work miracles through an act of total trust in You. Lord, help me to discover what are the few loaves and fishes I have, with which you wish to show people how much you love them.
Jesus, I am happy, not because I have everything, but because the one who has everything loves me. What do I have to be afraid of? Sometimes I am the one who gives and sometimes I am the one who receives. Jesus, help me to trust You without limits and not to put up barriers in what You ask of me.
«Compassion is not a feeling of pity, but involves getting involved in the problem of others, it is putting one's life on the line there, like the Lord. In the multiplication of the loaves, in which Jesus asked the disciples to feed the crowd and to which they reacted with prudence. The Lord had compassion because he saw those people as sheep without a shepherd and highlighted the compassionate gesture of Jesus in the face of the selfishness of the disciples who look for a solution, but without commitment, who do not get their hands dirty, as if to say ‘let these people fend for themselves’. Do I normally look the other way? Or do I let the Holy Spirit lead me on the path of compassion?
(Homily of H.H. Francis, September 17, 2019, in Santa Marta).
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.
See how I can compassionately help a person today, with the talents God has given me.
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.
