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)
Mary, teach me to receive Jesus as you received him. Pray for me and for the whole Church. In this prayer, help me to listen to the voice of the Lord who is already coming, and seek to please him throughout this day.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, 3, 1-12
At that time, John the Baptist began to preach in the wilderness of Judea, saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. John is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “A voice is crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John wore a robe of camel's hair, girded with a leather belt, and fed on grasshoppers and wild honey. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region near the Jordan came to hear him; they confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the river. When he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he said to them, ”You brood of vipers, who told you that you could escape the punishment that awaits you? Let your conversion be seen in deeds, and do not delude yourselves that you have Abraham as your father, for I tell you the truth, for God can even out of these stones bring forth children of Abraham. The axe is already laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that does not bear fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.“ ”I baptize you with water, as a sign that you are converted; but he who comes after me is stronger than I, and I am not even worthy to take off his sandals. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and his fire. He has the rod in his hand to separate the wheat from the chaff. He will keep the wheat in his barn and burn the chaff in a fire that will not be extinguished.".
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
What will you find, Jesus, when you are born? You will surely love to see lights everywhere, decorated trees, songs and gifts... But you will love even more to find a gift especially for you this Christmas: a heart ready to receive you...
You have willed to make yourself in all things like man, except sin. And in a few weeks we will see the beginning of this human life: you become a baby, someone vulnerable, small, in need of learning. Together with Mary, your Mother, I want to receive you in the best possible way. My life and my soul are not perfect, but you can find in them the love and the desire to welcome you.
Even though you are true man, you are my God. I believe in you, Lord, and therefore my love for you is also expressed in the desire to fulfill your will. I want to receive you with the gift of a new life, separated from all sin and oriented towards good. I want to prepare the way for you to enter my heart, to make the path straight so that I may draw near to you.
You, Lord, know my weakness to be sincerely converted. Help me with your grace, so that these desires to welcome you may become concrete fruits. May your Kingdom come in my heart! Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay!
«John the Baptist, the greatest of the prophets, teaches us a fundamental rule of the Christian life: to make ourselves small in humility so that the Lord may grow. This is the style of God, different from the style of men».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, February 5, 2016, at 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.
I will try to live this Sunday open to others, seeking to serve Christ in my neighbor.
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.
