Javier Castellanos, 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)
My heart seeks you, Lord, my God. I want to know you more and better. I want to be your unconditional friend, your faithful disciple and your tireless apostle. Show me your face and let me feel your hand at work in my life. Form in me the attitudes of humility, docility and listening to let the Holy Spirit move me in this time of prayer. So be it.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 9, 7-9
At that time King Herod heard of all the wonders that Jesus was doing, and he did not know what to make of them, for some said that John had risen from the dead, others that Elijah had returned, and others that one of the old prophets had come back to life. But Herod said, “John I commanded to be beheaded: who then is this man of whom I hear such things?” And he was curious to see Jesus.
Word of the Lord
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Jesus was making a lot of noise in the area. None other than the ruler of the synagogue had convinced him to attend to his daughter, the one who was about to die. Moreover, along the way, Jesus had healed the woman who had been suffering from an incurable disease for so many years. And, as if that were not enough, a few days later he sent the disciples throughout Judea to preach salvation and perform the same miracles. All this news reached the palace quickly. Herod's reaction was immediate.
Like many others, Herod was eager to see Jesus. But the attitude of one and the other was very different. The king had a superficial desire, motivated only by curiosity and the desire for novelty. Others, on the other hand, wanted to see him because they felt a deep need for Jesus. John and Andrew sought to know better the one who touched their hearts. Bartimaeus followed him on the road, deeply grateful for the gift of sight. They had turned the interest of the moment into a deep desire and so they met Jesus, when the opportunity came.
Christ was also eager to see Herod. The right time for the encounter was in the humiliation of the cross. And there was no encounter... Unfortunately, Herod was not able to overcome the layers that blocked his heart. Ambition for power, selfishness and weak convictions stifled that possibility of discovering a Jesus who suffered to save him....
Christ is also looking forward to seeing me. Much more than I can imagine.... Maybe in my case there are no luxurious cloaks and golden crowns blocking the door to an encounter with Him. But it is always good for us to renew our desire to see Him. Let us ask the Lord to help us remove any obstacles and may our encounter with Him thus be ever deeper.
«In our soul there is the possibility of having two kinds of restlessness: a good restlessness, which is the restlessness of the Holy Spirit, which gives us the Holy Spirit, and makes the soul restless to do good things, to go forward; and there is also the bad restlessness, that which is born of a dirty conscience. Precisely this last one characterized the two contemporary sovereigns of Jesus: they had a dirty conscience and that is why they were restless, because they had done bad things and had no peace, and every event seemed to them a threat».
(Homily of H.H. Francis September 22, 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.
Today I will be looking to do some spiritual visitation or fellowship at a nearby church.
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.
