Iván Yoed González Aréchiga, 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)
Jesus, You give me a gift, greater than any the world can give me. You give me the gift of true wisdom. I want to learn from You and receive Your grace. I want to live according to the wisdom of charity.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 11, 47-54
At that time Jesus said to the Pharisees and doctors of the law, “Woe to you who build tombs for the prophets whom your fathers killed! By this you signify that you agree with what your fathers did, for they killed them, and you build tombs for them. Therefore said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and they will kill them and persecute them, so that this generation may be called to account for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the creation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the court and the altar. Yes, I tell you again, this generation will be called to account: woe to you doctors of the law, for you have kept the key of the gate of knowledge. You have not entered, and those who were about to enter have been shut out.” After Jesus left there, the scribes and Pharisees began to harass him terribly with many questions and to set traps to see if they could accuse him with any of their own words.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Are there few who still believe in heaven, purgatory and hell? How hard these realities are for many ears these days! Many questions remain unanswered if we always move in mere horizontal dialogue. If we contemplate these realities only from this world, we lose all supernatural vision. If we do not direct our gaze towards heaven, if we do not endow our thinking with a vertical vision, towards God, there is no way out for any question. Justice ceases to exist, all truth ceases to exist, love ceases to exist; and with them, hell, purgatory and hell.
But what is hidden behind these realities? Did Jesus want to create weight in people's consciences in order to introduce his doctrine and carry out his plans? That is the way many people think today. However, if we look at Christ, if we look at his life, if we look at the love that overflowed his person, could we give room for such an argument? Little does it seem that Jesus came to enslave man. He did not want to generate in our hearts any chains, but rather to give them the freedom that comes from God, that comes from love.
If Christ spoke at some point that “this generation would have to give an account,” it does not seem that He did so with a double intention. He wanted only to awaken hardened hearts. Just as ours are these days. And how little we listen to Him even now. How little we trust Him. Perhaps his words can awaken us a little, too. And let us not think so much of guilt, but of what comes after it. Let us remember that guilt is not bad, it is a first step towards good. God wants to challenge our hearts to teach us to love as He loved us.
«If our hearts are empty of the fear of God and of his presence; it is of no use praying if our prayer addressed to God is not transformed into love for our brother; it is of no use so much religiosity if it is not animated at least equally by faith and charity; it is of no use taking care of appearances, because God looks at the soul and the heart and detests hypocrisy. For God, it is better not to disbelieve than to be a false believer, a hypocrite».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, April 29, 2017).
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.
I will examine my heart and see if there is anything that does not conform to the commandments in order to correct myself, remembering that the commandments are a way to learn to love better.
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.
