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)
Although I am neither deaf nor mute, it often seems that I am, because I do not listen to you, Lord, and I do not speak to others of the experience of your love. Inspire this prayer that I may draw from it the strength of will and always be a faithful witness of your love.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark 7, 31-37
He left the region of Tyre and came again by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, passing through the Decapolis. A deaf man was brought to him, who, moreover, spoke with difficulty, and they begged him to lay his hand on him. And he put his fingers in his ears and touched his tongue with his spittle. And lifting up his eyes to heaven, he gave a groan, and said to him, «Ephphatha,» which means, «Open up!» His ears were opened, and at once the binding of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke correctly. Jesus commanded them to tell no one. But the more he forbade them, the more they published it. And they marveled greatly and said, «He has done all things well; he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.».
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
“Go and tell him that the blind see, the deaf hear, and deliverance has come to the captives.” Thus Christ sums up his mission, for he has been sent to heal all the sick and to bring peace to men.
How would we like to be told that we have done everything right? Vanity and envy enter us when we see that others are praised for something in which we had a lot to do. We get angry and would like to be praised, that's why competitiveness among men is born.
But if all is vanity, when you get it, will you be happy forever? St. John Chrysostom already said when quoting the Qoelet: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity”. And he said it with truth, because the only thing that should matter to us is not praise, but doing things well for the love of God. Everything else is superfluous.
«Let us think of the many whom Jesus wanted to meet, especially people affected by illness and disability, in order to heal them and give them back their full dignity. It is very important that these people become witnesses of a new attitude, which we can call the culture of encounter [...] Here are the two opposing cultures. The culture of encounter and the culture of exclusion, the culture of prejudice, because it harms and excludes. The sick and disabled person, precisely because of his fragility, his limitations, can become a witness of encounter: the encounter with Jesus, which opens to life and faith, and the encounter with others, with the community. In fact, only those who recognize their own fragility, their own limits, can build fraternal and supportive relationships in the Church and in society. And now let us look at Our Lady. In her the first encounter took place: the encounter between God and humanity. Let us ask Our Lady to help us to move forward in this culture of encounter. And we turn to her with the Hail Mary.
(Speech of H.H. Francis, March 29, 2014).
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.
May my way of acting and treating others reveal the love of God the Father.
Farewell
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.
