Hiram Galán, 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, I am here. Yes, I am here with my whole being. How do I feel? I think You know that better than I do. My head, full of worries, robs me of peace, so I abandon everything to you. In this moment of prayer let me place myself in the peace of your presence.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 23, 35-43
When Jesus was already crucified, the authorities grimaced at him, saying, “He has saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Messiah of God, the chosen one”. The soldiers also mocked Jesus, and coming up to him, they offered him vinegar and said to him, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” There was, in fact, on the cross, a sign in Greek, Latin and Hebrew, which read: “This is the king of the Jews”. One of the crucified criminals insulted Jesus, saying to him: “If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us”. But the other indignantly demanded: “Do you not even fear God when you are in the same torture? We justly received payment for what we did. But this man has done no wrong. And he said to Jesus, ”Lord, when you come into your kingdom, remember me. Jesus answered him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
When we hear this passage, I believe that many of us have become accustomed to think or hear that Jesus is too good, so much so that he is capable of forgiving a thief and not only that, but also of giving him paradise. While it is true, there is also the action and merit of the thief. That is, he was a thief, and as a good, experienced thief, he knew that this would be the robbery of the century. Because he would not only be stealing a material good, which would one day come to an end, but he was stealing nothing more and nothing less than eternal salvation.
Why highlight the action of the thief? Because although it was not a robbery as such, it shows us the necessary and indispensable condition to receive God's mercy, that is, our freedom, to want to be saved.
Jesus told St. Faustina Kowalska that not even all the sins of the world surpass his mercy, but that the vessel necessary to receive that mercy is the trust of the soul that comes to seek his forgiveness.
Help me, Lord, to know how to trust in your merciful love and that the discouragement and sadness that assail me after having fallen, may serve me as an opportunity to reject them in order to show you my love and trust.
«I would like to recall the episode of the two evildoers crucified next to Jesus. One of them is conceited, he does not recognize himself as a sinner, he laughs at the Lord; the other, on the other hand, recognizes that he has failed, turns to the Lord and says: “Jesus, remember me when you come to establish your Kingdom”. Jesus looks at him with infinite mercy and replies: “Today you will be with me in Paradise”. With which of the two do we identify? With the one who is conceited and does not recognize his mistakes? Or perhaps with the other who recognizes that he needs divine mercy and implores it with all his heart? In the Lord, who gave his life for us on the cross, we will always find the unconditional love that recognizes our life as a good and always gives us the possibility to begin again».
(Message of the Holy Father for the XXXI World Youth Day).
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.
Before or after Sunday Mass, I will make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament to acknowledge Him as King and Lord of my life and ask Him, in humility, for His grace.
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.
