Rogelio Suarez, 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 Jesus, make my heart like yours. Change my heart of stone into a heart of flesh capable of love.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Mark 3:1-6
At that time Jesus went into the synagogue, where there was a man who had a crippled hand. The Pharisees were spying on Jesus to see if he would heal on the Sabbath so they could accuse him. Jesus said to the crippled man, “Stand up and stand there in the middle.” Then he asked them, “What is it permitted to do on the Sabbath, good or evil? Can a man's life be saved on the Sabbath, or must he be left to die?” They were silent. Then, looking at them in anger and sadness, because they did not want to understand, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was healed. Then the Pharisees went out and began to make plans with those of Herod's party to kill Jesus.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
This is the only passage where we are shown a look of Jesus' anger towards those around him (Pharisees), saddened by the blindness of their hearts. Jesus is also saddened by our blindness of heart.
Why did they have this blindness? How did we become blind? The only thing that blinds our hearts is our pride, because we do not accept what God does in our lives. For the Pharisees, Christ was uncomfortable, because he asked for things that they were not willing to accept. This is how little by little they harden their hearts, closing the doors and not letting him in.
Christ's anger is one of sadness, for he knows that they have everything to be happy just by opening their hearts; but he does not force them, he leaves them free. Our heart can only be opened from our side. If we are not the ones who open it, no one else will.
«This we perceive in our life: we can always take either good or evil, there is the human reality of freedom. God has made us free, the choice is ours. But the Lord does not leave us alone, he teaches us, he warns us: be attentive, there is good and evil; to adore God, to fulfill the commandments is the way of good; to go elsewhere, the way of idols, of false gods - many false gods - that make life wrong. And this is a reality: the reality of man is that all of us are before good and evil».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, March 2, 2017, in Santa Marta).
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 make a visit to Christ the Eucharist asking Him for the grace to accept His will at all times, even if it is contrary to mine.
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.
