Iván A. Virgen, 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 want to be close to you. I want to rest in your Heart. Only you can give me the rest I truly need.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 11:28-30
At that time, Jesus exclaimed: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find your rest. For my yoke is easy to bear and my burden is light”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Jesus seems to know well our attempts to find peace. He seems to have seen how we sleep and do not rest, how we work and do not enjoy the fruits of our labor. Many times we have put our life in function of earning or producing. Thus, we have put a yoke on our neck, basically we have become slaves to doing.
Instead, it seems that there is another kind of yoke, a yoke that does not tire because it is light. Jesus shows what kind of fatigue tires but does not overwhelm; it is a kind of fatigue that leaves in the depths of the heart the satisfaction of doing the right thing. Certainly, imitating Jesus does not remove the yoke, but it does give it a meaning because it channels the work towards the objective for which we have been created, to glorify God and serve our neighbor. It is a yoke that advances the fulfillment of our gift, while the yoke we impose on ourselves makes us wander in sterile attempts to produce our happiness.
But do not worry. Even if you have realized that up to now you have carried a false yoke and are exhausted by the burden, don't worry. Jesus is here to relieve you and in his heart he wants to give you rest.
«This invitation of Jesus extends to our own day, reaching out to many brothers and sisters oppressed by precarious living conditions, by difficult existential situations and at times deprived of valid points of reference. In the poorest countries, but also in the peripheries of the richest countries, we find many people tired and burdened under the unbearable weight of abandonment and indifference. Indifference: how much harm is done to the needy by human indifference! And worse, the indifference of Christians! On the margins of society there are many men and women who are tried by destitution, but also by dissatisfaction with life and frustration. Many are forced to emigrate from their homeland, putting their own lives at risk. Many more carry every day the burden of an economic system that exploits man, imposes on him an unbearable “yoke”, which the privileged few do not want to bear. To each of these children of the Father who is in heaven, Jesus repeats: “Come to me, all of you”. He also says this to those who possess everything, but whose hearts are empty and without God. Jesus also addresses this invitation to them: “Come to me”. Jesus' invitation is for everyone. But in a special way for those who suffer the most.». (H.H. Francis, Angelus of July 6, 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.
Today I will begin my day by offering to God the activities of the day.
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.
