Camila Pinheiro, CRC
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 heavens tell of your glory, and the earth proclaims the works of your hands; day to day gives the message, night to night whispers it. Without their speaking, without their voice being uttered, your proclamation reaches all the earth, and your words to the ends of the world (Ps 19). That's how you are, you don't need to tell me much, because every day through the created you shout at me, you pronounce yourself with force. To listen to you it is enough for me to stop, to open my eyes, to listen to you... little time of my attention is enough for you, although you would like to have me always attentive... here I am, I let you remove the scales from my eyes, open my ears and loosen my tongue, so that today I too can sing with all creation how great you are and how alive you are.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 5, 13-16
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt becomes dull, with what will you salt it? It is good for nothing but to throw it out and let people trample it underfoot. You are the light of the world. You cannot hide a city set on a hilltop. Neither do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket, but put it on a lampstand, that it may give light to all in the house. Let your light so shine to men, that they may see your good works”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Following the line of this week's Gospels, we see a reality that is approached from different angles: our identity, the truth of who we are and, consequently, our mission. In the Gospels of the last days Jesus has invited us to be sharers in his family and, consequently, to rejoice in the certainty that we already possess his Life, a life that does not pass away.
In today's Gospel, Jesus directly addresses all those who at some point in their lives have personally encountered him and whose lives have gradually begun to be transformed, the disciples. Jesus addresses each one of us to express the consequences of the Christian life using two images of everyday life: salt and light.
Salt can be said to have three functions: to preserve food, to accentuate the taste of food and, in part, to keep the immune system functioning, due to its minerals. On the other hand, light has the function of illuminating. When Jesus uses these images to describe to the disciples their identity in the world, it can be said that a disciple who remains in relationship with Jesus is anyone who, being in the world, remains in spiritual combat; gives flavor to the little things of the world by recognizing in them the love of God; and preserves the world in its most original truth, as God's creation, by caring for it. In the same way, we are light in the manner of the moon, we do not have light by ourselves, but we need to keep ourselves in a living relationship with the source of light, which makes us transparent so that through us His light shines.
Without a relationship with Christ, without being united to him, we cannot be salt and light, it is up to us to take care of and cultivate this relationship, this is our mission. Simply by being who we are, followers of Christ, letting His life pass through us and reach others through everything we are and what we do. If we truly walk with Jesus, we don't have to ask ourselves so much what should I do? But am I living according to who I am?
«Jesus, at the Last Supper, asked the Father not to take the disciples out of the world, to leave them there in the world, to protect them from the spirit of the world. The Church lavishes herself with generosity and tenderness for the little ones and the poor: this is not the spirit of the world, this is its light, it is salt. The Church listens to the cry of the least and the excluded, because she is aware that she is a pilgrim community called to prolong in history the saving presence of Jesus Christ». (H.H. Francis, Angelus of February 9, 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.
Ask yourself today: How many opportunities did I have throughout the day to live my vocation as a disciple and yet I did not?
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.
