Bertha Del Toro Rodríguez, 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)
I am preparing to begin this Lent by praying with special love, realizing that You want me to accompany You with my heart closely united to Yours. During this prayer, enkindle in me the desire to love you and increase my faith to find you in the brother whom I see.
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: “Take heed that you do not practice your righteousness before men, that you may be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward from your heavenly Father. Therefore, when you give alms, do not go about blowing a trumpet in front, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, in order to be honored by men; I tell you the truth, they have already received their reward. But you, when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand does; so that your alms may remain secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you. When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who like to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the squares, so that people may see them. I assure you that they have already received their pay. You, when you go to pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is in the hidden place, and your Father, who sees in the hidden place, will repay you. When you fast, do not go about crestfallen, like the hypocrites who disfigure their faces to make people see that they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have already received their pay. But you, when you fast, cleanse your head and wash your face, so that your fast may be noticed, not by the people, but by your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father, who sees in the secret place, will reward you”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Jesus, in this Gospel you interpret to your disciples the true meaning of the most common works in Judaism: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. You begin with a warning “be careful not to practice your righteousness in order to be seen”. You want these practices to be carried out with authenticity and purity in order to unite us to you.
It is true that a good work can be distorted. Perhaps for me it is a challenge not so much to do it to be seen but to hide my practices so as not to be criticized. The truth is, being authentic and free in expressing one's faith is something I want to do better this Lent. What works do I find more difficult to do for fear of being criticized or because I don't give them importance?
You also teach us that the Father who sees in secret will reward me. It is impressive how powerful this truth is. I want to become more aware that I am in your presence all the time, that you are present and the Father sees my intention, sees my heart, not what I appear to be.
If there is something I find difficult, perhaps, it is to get close to those in need. Giving alms is a work that I need to value, that I need to look at it as You, to do good to those in need is to do good to You. People need love and goods too, but above all they need to feel that they have dignity. Thank You for renewing my desire to do and live my works for You and for You.
«Each of us can ask ourselves: “Am I able to stop and look at the face, look into the eyes, of the person who is asking me for help? Am I able to?”. We must not, therefore, identify almsgiving with the simple coin offered in haste, without looking at the person and without stopping to talk and understand what he or she really needs. At the same time, we must distinguish between the poor and the various forms of begging that do no good to the truly poor. In short, almsgiving is a gesture of love that is directed to those we meet; it is a gesture of sincere attention to those who come to us and ask for our help, done in the secret where only God sees and understands the value of the act performed». (H.H. Francis, Catechesis of April 9, 2016).
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 take care that the place where I pray helps me to be with you and to listen to the Holy Spirit in order to do my good works as a fruit of listening in prayer.
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.
