H. Axel Hernandez, L.C.
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, you know me better than anyone else. I love you and I want to love you more by being faithful to your will. Increase my faith, my hope, my love. Let me know you more.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 21:28-32
At that time Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people, “What do you think about this? A man who had two sons went to the first and ordered him, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today. He replied, ’I am coming, Lord, but he did not go. The father went to the second and said the same thing. He said to him, ‘I do not want to go,‘ but he repented and went. Which of the two did the father's will?’ They answered him, ”The second.“.
Then Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes have gone ahead of you in the way of the kingdom of God. For John came and preached the way of righteousness, and they did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes believed him. You, even after you have seen, have neither repented nor believed in him.”.
Word of God.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
In today's Gospel, the Lord reminds us that following him implies not only good intentions, but rather a way of life: a coherent way of acting in our lives. Our relationship with God cannot be reduced to a simple emotional desire. It is not enough to want to love, we must love.
It is in our tasks, civil and secular, that we are to discover God in our lives. Any task, no matter how insignificant it may be in the eyes of men, if it is lived out of love for God and for our fellow men, overflows with the transcendence of God. The Lord calls us to serve Him through our ordinary occupations.
Our faith should not be reduced to professing the creed and going to Mass on Sundays. It is not enough to pray, we must love like the Lord, and for this we must truly encounter Him through the sacraments, prayer and meditation on the Sacred Scriptures. Whoever claims to know God and is indifferent to the suffering of others does not know him. Our life cannot be based on sentiment, but rather on our conviction of God's personal, unconditional and unique love for each one of us, which transforms our life by changing our way of seeing, thinking and acting, inspiring us and helping us to love like Him from our most common and ordinary occupations, filling them with meaning and significance with the transcendence of His love.
«In today's Gospel, it is the first brother who is better off, not because he said «no» to his father, but because afterwards the “no” became a “yes”, he repented. God is patient with each one of us: he does not tire, he does not give up after our “no”; he leaves us free even to turn away from him and to make mistakes. To think of God's patience is marvelous! How the Lord always waits for us; always at our side to help us; but He respects our freedom. And he anxiously awaits our «yes», to welcome us back into his paternal arms and shower us with his boundless mercy. Faith in God asks us to renew every day the choice of good over evil, the choice of truth over falsehood, the choice of neighborly love over selfishness.»
(Angelus of H.H. Francis, September 22, 2020).
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 offer my work to God and seek to do His will at all times.
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.
