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, You speak to us today about the evil prophets, but at the same time You speak to us about us. You say that a tree is known by its fruits, by its works. That it is not enough to see its trunk or its foliage to know it, but that we need to have recourse to its fruits: as when you looked for figs on the fig tree. Therefore, I wish to unite myself to you, so that you may produce in me fruits of love and devotion.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 7:15-20
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits you shall know them: do you gather grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? Thus every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruit you will know them.
Word of God
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
When we receive the Eucharist, God assimilates us into himself, transforms us into his branches, into extensions of his love for mankind. The fruits produced by this advantageous union are incredible. For it calms our fears, transforms our sadness into joy, and turns our hatreds into Love.
What kind of fruit do I produce, from the tree that produces good fruit or from the tree that produces bad fruit? How did I act when I identified the kind of fruit produced by those who are around me every day?
Since every good tree bears good fruit, every Christian is called to bear the love of Christ, whose tree was the cross, and whose fruits are thousands of martyrs, witnesses of his love. Today too, God has destined me to be his witness, a martyr of self-giving at every moment. He has called me to be a leaven in society, a seed of his Kingdom that will germinate under the light of charity and offer shade to so many souls who have not yet known the merciful face of God.
Missionary of your Kingdom, apostle of your heart, voice of your mercy, herald of the good news, of the beautiful news: I have one Lord as God: Jesus Christ, true man, true God, who lived like me and died so that one day I may rise like Him, to grant me His grace, to show me His forgiveness, to teach me the one true love, that which springs from the cross, which turns suffering into the fruit of graces that culminate in love for God and for others.
«As a consequence, a person who, united in this way, does so much good to his neighbor and to society, is a Christian person. From these attitudes, in fact, one recognizes that one is a Christian, as from the fruits one recognizes the tree. The fruits of this union with Jesus are marvelous: our whole person is transformed by the grace of the Spirit: soul, intelligence, will, affections, and also the body, because we are a unity of spirit and body. We receive a new way of being, Christ's life also becomes ours: we can think like Him, act like Him, see the world and things with the eyes of Jesus. As a consequence, we can love our brothers and sisters, beginning with the poorest and most suffering, as he did, and love them with his heart and thus bring to the world fruits of goodness, charity and peace».
(Angelus of H.H. Francis, August 21, 2022).
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 seek to receive Communion more frequently, and, at Communion next Sunday, I will say to Him, “Grant that I may never again depart from You.”.
Farewell
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.
