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, help me to trust in you. I want to see you and nothing else, for when I take my eyes off you I fall and drown. You alone can make me walk on water.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 14:22-36
After he had filled the crowd, Jesus urged his disciples to get into the boat, and they went ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the crowd away. And when he had sent the crowds away, he went up the mountain alone to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. Meanwhile, the boat was already far from land, tossed by the waves, because the wind was against them. In the early morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were frightened and cried out in fear, thinking that he was a ghost. But Jesus said to them, “Courage, it is I; do not be afraid. Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. And he said to him, ”Come. Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus; but when he felt the force of the wind, he was afraid and began to sink, and he cried out, “Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus put out his hand, and took hold of him, and said to him, ”How little faith! Why did you doubt?“ As soon as they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those in the boat prostrated themselves before him, saying, ”Truly you are the Son of God.“ And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. And the men of that place, as soon as they recognized him, proclaimed the news throughout the whole region and brought all the sick to him. They asked him to touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were healed.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
The person of Peter is fascinating because he combines passion with weakness. On the one hand, he wants to throw himself into the Master who walks on the water, but on the other hand he looks too much at himself and begins to sink. For this reason, he is a figure with whom we can identify many times, because we have the desire to give ourselves, to go to the end of the world in order to follow Christ, but often we catch ourselves falling into such vain things. In fact, sometimes we have struggles that we have been carrying for several years and it seems that we are sinking deeper and deeper. It is very easy to fall into the self-referentiality that sinks us. In those moments we forget that if we have begun to walk on the water it is because Christ has given us the power and we go by his hand. Therefore, let us always look to Christ, aware of our fragility, hurt by the failures we have committed, but always looking to Jesus, because when you look to Jesus there is no power that sinks you, no matter how much evil drags you down, He always pulls you out. What Jesus desires most is your fulfillment. Go ahead and do not lose sight of Him.
«This story is a beautiful image of the faith of the apostle Peter. In the voice of Jesus saying to him, “Come,” he recognized the echo of the first encounter on the shore of that same lake, and immediately, once again, he left the boat and went to the Master. And he walked on the waters. The trusting and available response to the Lord's call always makes it possible to accomplish extraordinary things. But Jesus himself told us that we are able to work miracles with our faith, faith in him, faith in his word, faith in his voice. Peter, on the other hand, begins to sink the moment he looks away from Jesus and allows himself to be overwhelmed by the adversities that surround him. But the Lord is always there, and when Peter calls upon him, Jesus saves him from danger. In the character of Peter, with his impulses and weaknesses, our faith is described: always fragile and poor, restless and yet victorious, the faith of the Christian walks towards the encounter with the Risen Lord, in the midst of the storms and dangers of the world.». (H.H. Francis, Angelus of August 10, 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.
Pray for someone who is going through a time of difficulty. Ask for the grace that they may see Christ as the rock that saves them and learn to look to Him so that they may continue their struggle with hope.
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.
