Br. Jose Torres, 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 open my heart to your inspirations so that I may always fulfill your holy will.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 4:14-22
At that time, Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit; and his fame spread throughout the whole region. He taught in the synagogues, and everyone praised him.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, entered the synagogue, as was his custom on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him and, unrolling it, he found the passage where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me. He has sent me to preach the gospel to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. To give liberty to the oppressed; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” And, rolling up the book, he handed it back to the helper and sat down. And all the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled which you have just heard.” And they all expressed their approval of him and marveled at the gracious words that came from his lips.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me These are the words of the prophet Isaiah, but in the mouth of the Lord, they take on life and reality. It is Jesus who wants to give us life; let us think today if we can say these words with Christ, if they penetrate our heart, our mind, if they are a reality that I seek daily. A moment ago we invoked the Holy Spirit to come down into our hearts and enlighten our understanding, so that we can listen to what God has prepared for each one of us. In this Christmas season let us pay special attention to the Child, to the ineffable mystery of God who becomes man. And let us ask him, what do you need, can I help you?
He has sent me to proclaim the Gospel to the poor.. More than a mandate or something imposed, Jesus exhorts us to go out of ourselves and announce the Good News; that, as St. John Paul II said, we should open the doors to Christ, that we should not be afraid. Once we have welcomed the Redeemer into our hearts, we can go out and proclaim the Gospel because no one gives what he does not have, and it is the Love that fills and inflames our hearts that motivates us to go out and want to conquer souls for Christ. Our apostolic zeal lies in the fact that we are close to the Master, and that in our hearts, from the day of our baptism, dwells the divine guest.
«Love a Church in going out. But we must be attentive: if it is not going out, it is not the Church. The Church is for the way, the Church walks. A Church on the way, missionary, is a Church that does not waste time crying for things that do not work, for the faithful it no longer has, for the values of yesteryear that are no longer there. A Church that does not seek protected oases to be at ease; but only desires to be salt of the earth and leaven for the world. This Church knows that this is her strength, the same strength of Jesus: not social or institutional relevance, but humble and gratuitous love.» (H.H. Francis, homily October 1, 2019).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer. Be willing 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.
To truly commit myself to my apostolate; to do it with the heart of an apostle who wants all souls to be saved.
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.
