David Mauricio Sánchez Mejía, 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)
Thank you, Lord, for your death and resurrection, for in this way you give meaning to my sufferings and joys. Thank you, Lord, for leaving me the Eucharist, for in this way you sustain me on the path that will lead me to you forever.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to John 16:16-20
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples, “In a little while you will no longer see me, and in a little while you will see me again”. Some of his disciples asked one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while they will no longer see me, and in a little while they will see me again,’ and by saying, ‘I am going to the Father’?” And they said to one another, “What does this ‘a little while’ mean? We do not understand what it means. Jesus understood that they wanted to ask him something, and he said to them, ”You are confused, because I have said to you, “In a little while you will no longer see me, and in a little while you will see me again. I assure you that you will weep and grieve, while the world will rejoice. You will be sad, but your sadness will be transformed into joy‘.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Jesus knows that we do not understand many things and that we suffer for it. We cannot explain to ourselves how death, suffering, betrayal can exist, while there is a good God who cares for us. Not everything seems to make sense, and yet God promises us that our sadness will turn into joy. How can this be?
Jesus himself, being a true man, felt the anguish of facing a trial that he would have preferred to avoid: «If it is possible for this cup to pass from me...», or on the cross when he exclaimed to the Father: «Why have you forsaken me?.
Jesus is God and, as such, he knows how everything he does will end, but he suffers, and in suffering he shares our suffering. He becomes closer to us and teaches us that only trust and love overcome suffering.
He does not ask us to leap into the void of incomprehension, but to follow in his footsteps, marked by the Cross, and to arrive with him at the joy of the Resurrection.
«In prayer he discovers God's consolation and experiences that nothing is stronger than his love. That is why he is interiorly serene, and is happy to be a channel of mercy, to bring man closer to the heart of God. For him, sadness is not normal, but only temporary; hardness is alien to him, because he is a shepherd according to the gentle heart of God».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, June 3, 2016).
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.
Ask myself with sincerity: Is there any suffering that I have not yet placed in God's hands?
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.
