Cristian Gutierrez, 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, today we begin a new journey. I say “new” because I do not want this to be just another Lent in my life. I want this time to help me to know and love You a little more and a little better. Give me your grace to prepare myself in the way you want and to accompany you in the mysteries of my salvation. I offer you this Lent as a time of love, of surrender, of service, of donation.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 6, 1-6.16-18
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: “Be careful not to practice your works of piety before men, so that they may see you. Otherwise, you will have no reward with your heavenly Father. Therefore, when you give alms, do not announce it with a trumpet, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that men may praise them. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, let your left hand know what your right hand does, so that your alms may be kept secret; and your Father, who sees what is secret, will reward you. When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who like to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that people may see you. I assure you that you have already received your reward. But you, when you go to pray, go into your room, close the door and pray before your Father, who is there in secret; and your Father, who sees the secret, will reward you. When you fast, do not put on a sad face, like those hypocrites who neglect the appearance of their faces, so that people will notice that they are fasting. I assure you that you have already received your reward. But you, when you fast, put perfume on your head and wash your face, so that people will not know that you are fasting, but your Father, who is in secret; and your Father, who sees the secret, will reward you”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Beyond fasting, prayer, abstinence, perhaps the invitation of this passage is that everything I do this Lent, I always do it facing you. Sometimes I act only according to what others think and believe about me. Unconsciously, I allow my daily actions to contribute to the image that I want others to have of me.
Today you call me to free myself from it. To free myself because it is a chain that enslaves me and robs me of the merits of all the good deeds that I perform daily. In fact, you call the Pharisees to act only for people to see them. Today you invite me to act in the face of you, who see and value the secret.
But you also invite me not to perform acts and do things just for the sake of doing them. This Lent can be the propitious time to learn that my good deeds and acts are a correspondence to your love first. You already love me before I know it or discover it. It is not because of my works that you love me. It is because of what I am. How much this was lacking in the Pharisees of your time! Sometimes they thought that their works justified them and made them worthy of your love. Yet this is not so.
You have loved me to the end. I can now count on all your love. My works are the way to correspond to this selfless love. It is not with my works that I “earn” or “deserve” your love... it is with love that love is repaid.
Help me that this Lenten season may be the season of love: of love for you, of love for others, of right love for myself. Lent is a time to love, and to love truly.
«Love of God and neighbor is the greatest commandment of the Gospel. The Lord today calls us to respond generously to the Gospel call to love, placing God at the center of our lives and dedicating ourselves to the service of our brothers and sisters, especially those most in need of support and consolation. If there is one attitude that is never easy, it is precisely that of knowing how to love, of loving one another in the example of the Lord and with his grace».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, May 21, 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.
I will tell my loved ones how much I love and care for them (including God).
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.
