Rubén Tornero, 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)
Jesus, I am once again before you. You know me and you know how I am, what are my sadnesses, joys, illusions and fears. I place everything in your hands. I do not want to be separated from you. Only in your hands I want to find my true home. If many times I leave it, do not tire, I beg you, of waiting for me with open arms and make me never tire of returning to you, beloved Jesus.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark 7, 14-23
At that time, Jesus called the people together again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand me. Nothing that comes in from outside can defile a man, but what defiles a man is what comes out from inside”. When he went into a house to get away from the crowd, the disciples asked him what the parable meant. He said to them, “Are you also incapable of understanding? Do you not understand that nothing that enters a man from without can defile him, for it does not enter into his heart, but into the belly, and afterward, it comes out of the body?” With these words he declared all food clean. Then he added: “What does defile a man is what comes from within; for out of a man's heart come evil intentions, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetousness, unrighteousness, frauds, wantonness, envy, slander, pride, and frivolity. All these evils come from within and defile man”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Today, Jesus, you tell me that it is not the food that stains me, but what comes out of my heart. You know well the wounds I have and you know even my last hiding places. There are so many things in my heart that hurt me; they stain your image in me.
Help me, Jesus! You alone are able to heal my heart wounded by sin. No one but You can purify my inner self, my deepest intentions and desires.
I want to learn from your Sacred Heart, from which only love, forgiveness and mercy emerge.
I beg you to form in me a heart similar to yours, from which nothing else will come forth but the love it receives from you.
«In our time, some cultural orientations no longer recognize the imprint of divine wisdom in created realities and neither in man. Human nature is thus reduced to matter, which can be shaped according to any design. Our humanity, on the other hand, is unique and very valuable in the eyes of God. For this reason, the first nature to be guarded, so that it may bear fruit, is our humanity itself. We must give it the clean air of freedom and the life-giving water of truth, protect it from the poisons of selfishness and lies. In the soil of our humanity will then be able to sprout a great variety of virtues».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, March 3, 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.
Today I will seek to think well of the people around me.
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.
