Javier Castellanos, 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)
Help me, Holy Spirit, to receive Jesus in the best possible way. Act within me, take my heart, infuse it with faith, hope and love. Open my soul to true joy, the joy that comes from having God so close, living among us. Holy Mary, cause of our joy, pray for us. Amen.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 1:18-24
Christ came into the world in the following way: Mary, his mother, being betrothed to Joseph, and before they lived together, it happened that she, by the work of the Holy Spirit, was expecting a son. Joseph, her husband, who was a righteous man, not wishing to put her to shame, thought to leave her in secret. While he was thinking about these things, an angel of the Lord said to him in a dream, “Joseph, son of David, do not hesitate to take Mary your wife into your house, for she has conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this happened to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the mouth of the prophet Isaiah: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God-with-us. When Joseph awoke from that dream, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and received his wife.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
The day is coming! It's almost Christmas! We have been preparing our hearts for three weeks. It has been a time of conversion, of prayer, of hope. And little by little we have been approaching the time of joy, because “Christ came into the world”.
What a joy, Lord, to know that you wanted to come to us! You came into the world through the Holy Spirit, from the womb of Mary Immaculate. You come and take the name of Jesus, that is to say “the Lord saves”. You have come to save us all from sin, evil and death. Thank you, Lord, for your Incarnation!
What a joy to receive Mary! What a joy to receive you! It may be difficult at first, as it was for St. Joseph. But help me to receive you with the faith and love that he had after the angel's message. Allow me, with the help of your grace, to be my Emmanuel, «God-with-us». God with me! Through baptism I always carry you within me, and I know that Mary is a good mother who never abandons me. Do not allow me ever to be separated from you!
«Jesus, God, is a true man, with his body of man is in heaven. And this is our hope, this is our anchor, and we are firm in this hope if we look to heaven. In this heaven dwells that God who has revealed himself so close that he came to assume the face of a man, Jesus of Nazareth. He remains forever God-with-us - let us remember this: Emmanuel, God with us - and he does not leave us alone. We can look upwards to recognize before us our future. In the Ascension of Jesus, the crucified and risen one, is the promise of our participation in the fullness of life with God».
(Regina Coeli of H.H. Francis, May 8, 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 live today cultivating the joy of God who comes with us. In the face of setbacks or displeasure, serenity and a smile.
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.
