H. Alexis Montiel, 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, may I not forget the goodness of your love that I have experienced during this Christmas season and proclaim you to all peoples.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to John 1:29-34
The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and exclaimed, “This is the Lamb of God, the one who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has precedence over me, for he was before me. I did not know him, but I have come to baptize with water, so that he may be made known to Israel.’
Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove and alighting on him. I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Holy Spirit descending and alighting is the one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit. Well, I saw him, and I bear witness that this is the Son of God’.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
One day I saw a little boy running to his mom to show her the gift a friend of his had given him for his birthday. I thought it was very cute how the boy noticed that the wrapping was not so well done, so he knew that his friend had wrapped it personally. When he opened it he saw a letter from his best friend; I didn't see it, we can imagine it had very bad handwriting or spelling, but the boy was happy, because his friend wrote him how good friends they were and how much he appreciated him. He was telling this to many at lunch.
St. John the Baptist does not keep for himself one of the best gifts, he is the first herald of the good news, the one who prepares the way of the Lord. After this Christmas period, we enter into ordinary time, a time in which we will not see the Holy Spirit descend upon someone, but we have received the good news that was revealed to us in the cradle of Bethlehem and that, like the shepherds or the wise men of the East, has to be announced to others. St. John the Baptist reveals to us the end of the Christmas season and invites us to proclaim what we have seen.
Let us say like St. John the Baptist: «And I have seen him and testified that this is the Son of God».
«The encounter had taken place near the Jordan River, where John the Baptist was baptizing; and those young Galileans had chosen the Baptist as their spiritual guide. One day Jesus came and had himself baptized in the river. The next day it happened again and then the Baptizer - that is, John the Baptist - said to his two disciples: “Behold the Lamb of God”. And for those two it is the «illumination». They leave their first teacher and follow the sequel of Jesus.»
(Homily of H.H. Francis, August 30, 2017).
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 detail that manifests God's love for others, such as inviting a friend to confession or Mass.
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.
