Adrian Olvera, 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)
I am here, Lord, to do your will.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to John 21:20-25
At that time Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me”. Peter, turning his face, saw that there was following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, the same one who at supper had reclined on his breast and asked him, “Lord, who is the one who is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what will happen to this one?” Jesus answered him, “If I want this man to remain alive until I return, what about you? You, follow me.” So a rumor began to spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die, but rather, “If I want him to remain alive until I come back, what about you? This is the disciple who testifies to these things and has put them in writing and we are certain that his testimony is true. Many other things Jesus did and I believe that, if they were recounted one by one, they would not fit in all the books that would be written.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
There are so many things that distract us from what is essential. There are so many things that sometimes oppress us and take away our peace, that make us forget that life is not so complicated..., that life is beautiful.
We are rushed, tense and stressed by things we have to do; by things we want to do..... Many times they are important things - no doubt - but they are most certainly not the “most important” things.
Do you think that I really do not pay attention to this or that? Do you think that I really forget what is of interest to you or to others? And then, Jesus affirms, you follow me. That is to say, Jesus is not inviting us to live in an exaggerated selfishness where the only thing that matters is the "I", on the contrary. What Jesus is inviting us to do is to focus our gaze on Him as the starting point to embark on the path of life.
To center our gaze on Jesus means to trust in Him, to know that our worries are His, to know that our joys are also His. To focus our gaze on Jesus is to live in the peace and tranquility that He is with us, and that truly unmasks the ugliness of life and shows it to be beautiful as it really is.
That is the most important “thing”, to know that Jesus says: “I also know everything that concerns you and I know what is outside of you, however, leave this in my hands, you follow me and I will take care of the rest”.
«This Peter was healed in the deepest wound there can be, that of denying his friend. Perhaps Paul's reproach, when he reproaches him for his duplicity, has to do with this. It would seem that Paul felt that he had been the worst “before” knowing Christ; but Peter was after knowing him, he denied him... However, being healed there turned Peter into a merciful Shepherd, into a solid stone on which one can always build, because he is a weak stone that has been healed, not a stone that in its forcefulness leads the weakest to stumble.».
(Meditation of H.H. Francis, June 2, 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.
Make a small stop at a moment of the day and try to be aware of God's presence in 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.
