Rogelio Suarez, 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 Jesus, I ask you for the grace of conversion of my life to you through the experience of your love.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 5, 27-32
At that time Jesus saw a tax collector, a tax collector named Levi (Matthew), sitting in his office, and said to him, “Follow me”. He, leaving everything, got up and followed them. Levi gave a great banquet in his house in honor of Jesus, and there were at table with them a great number of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and scribes therefore criticized the disciples, saying to them, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need the physician, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, that they may be converted.”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Many speak of “love at first sight”, and I believe that this love does exist, but if it is not cultivated, that is, if it does not take root, it will not reach its fullness. In several passages of the Gospel we see clearly that love at first sight, and this is one of them.
In the first place, for this love to be given, it is necessary to look at oneself. But it is not only the external, the physical that must be looked at, but also the heart. Christ never allows himself to be carried away by appearances; what he sees is our heart. That is why this love is stronger and firmer only with Christ. With this exchange of glances Levi had the experience of God's love in his life. He met Christ and decided to leave everything to follow Him. The question I would like to dwell on is, what did Jesus see in Levi, for he was not well regarded by everyone because he was a tax collector, he worked for the Romans.
What Jesus sees is Levi's heart, his heart longing to love and to be loved. Jesus knows that his heart is empty and must be filled by his love. This gospel should fill us with hope. Jesus calls me to follow him, regardless of how I am, what I have done and what I have not done. He calls me because he loves me, just as I am, and he has prepared a mission for my life that will lead me to true fulfillment, to happiness.
«Jesus does not make long speeches, he does not deliver a program to adhere to, he does not proselytize, nor does he give prefabricated answers. When he addresses Matthew, he simply says: “Follow me! In this way, he awakens in him the fascination of discovering a new objective, the opening of his life to a ”place“ that goes beyond the little table where he is sitting. Jesus” desire is to set people on the way, to shake them out of a lethal sedentary lifestyle, to break the illusion that we can live happily by continuing to sit comfortably among our securities”».
(Address of H.H. Francis, October 21, 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.
I will make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, approaching the Lord without fear, and asking Him for the grace of true conversion.
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.
