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, help me to see my life as a gift to myself and others.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark 1:29-39
At that time, as Jesus was leaving the synagogue, he went with James and John to the house of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and immediately they told Jesus. He went to her and took her by the hand and lifted her up. At that moment her fever left her, and she began to serve them.
In the evening, when the sun was setting, they brought to him all the sick and demon-possessed, and all the people crowded together at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons, but he did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.
Early in the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up, went out and went to a lonely place, where he began to pray. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they said to him, “They all seek you. And he said to them, ”Let us go to the nearby towns and preach the gospel there also, for that is why I have come.“ And he went throughout Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
We often think that we are self-sufficient and independent. We believe that we do not need someone to succeed and we give credit for our victories to ourselves, without thinking of the One through whom all that is good, true and beautiful proceeds. However, sometimes when we find ourselves in situations that do not fully depend on us, as in the case of Simon's mother-in-law with a fever, this attitude changes because we realize that we are not the owners of everything, and that every good we experience is a gift from God to serve others, just as Simon's mother-in-law does when she recovers her health thanks to Jesus.
Today, Jesus invites us to recognize our life as his gift and proof of his unconditional love for us, for we live because he loved us before we knew him. The Lord wishes to expel from us everything that prevents us from loving others, every selfish and proud spirit that prevents us from seeing the beauty and fullness that we experience when we love as He does. Today is the day to grow and renew our surrender to Him by beginning to ask Him, «Lord, what prevents me from being able to give myself to You and to others as You desire?»
«The conclusion of today's passage indicates that Jesus“ proclamation of the Kingdom of God finds its proper place on the road. To the disciples who seek him to take him to the city - the disciples went to look for him where he was praying and wanted to take him back to the city - what does Jesus answer? ”Let us go elsewhere, to the neighboring towns, so that he may preach there also«. This was the way of the Son of God and this will be the way of his disciples. And it must be the way of every Christian. The way. As the place of the joyful proclamation of the Gospel, it places the mission of the Church under the sign of »going«, of the way, under the sign of »movement» and never of stillness. May the Virgin Mary help us to be open to the voice of the Holy Spirit, who urges the Church to pitch her tent more and more in the midst of the people in order to bring to all the healing word of Jesus, physician of souls and bodies."
(Homily of H.H. Francis, February 4, 2018).
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.
See how I can help a person today with the talents God has given 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.
