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)
«The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life, who shall make me tremble?
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;
Even if war breaks out against me, I will not lose confidence.
Hear, O Lord, I call out to you with a loud voice; have mercy on me and answer me» (Psalm 27).
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 8:23-27
At that time Jesus got into a boat with his disciples. Suddenly a storm arose on the sea, so strong that the waves covered the boat; but he was asleep. The disciples awoke him, saying to him, “Lord, save us, for we perish!” He answered them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he arose and gave a definite command to the winds and the sea, and there came a great calm. And those men marveled and said, “Who is this, whom even the winds and the sea obey?”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
It seems that the Lord sleeps when we need him most. We seek to do what good we can every day, to give witness to our faith, to carry out some apostolic activity or service to the needy. But many times we meet only headwinds along the way. And on more than one occasion the storm has risen up around our boat....
But He is there. Though all is dark, Christ never leaves. Even if everything is shaken and there seems to be no safe spot, He remains forever. Even in the storm. He has not left the paralytic on the ground. He did not leave the lepers outside the city. He Himself will not allow us to drown in this sea. Christ is our support and our security.
It is normal to be afraid in the storm. Christ does not ask us to be insensitive, but he does ask that our faith be greater than fear. He asks us to trust in Him, for His presence is enough for us in difficulty. To trust in Him means to fight even in the storms... To trust in Him means to keep hope alive: to keep rowing, to hold the helm tightly to the other shore. Because He, sooner or later, will awaken; and then a great calm will come.
«We know who Jesus is, but perhaps we have not met Him personally, talking with Him, and we have not yet recognized Him as our Savior. This time is a good opportunity to draw close to Him, to meet Him in prayer in a heart-to-heart dialogue, to speak with Him, to listen to Him; it is a good opportunity to see His face also in the face of a suffering brother and sister.».
(Cfr H.H. Francis, March 19, 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.
Today I will maintain an attitude of optimism and hope, especially in difficult situations.
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.
