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, today I want to adore and bless You. You are the best thing I have in my life. Thank You, for being just the way You are. You are wonderful, Jesus, who can compare to You? You have loved me to the extreme, You have loved me as no one ever can. I do not deserve so much love... I do not deserve it, but I need it. Don't ever forsake me. I love you and I thank you for all the love you have for me. I beg You that in this moment of personal encounter with You, give me the grace to experience a little more of the immense love that You have for me, so that I can only love You more and be a reflection of Your love for those around me.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 7:15-20
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of false prophets. They come to you disguised as sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves, and you will know them by their fruits. By their fruits you will know them. Do you pick grapes from thorns or figs from thistles? Every good tree bears good fruit, and the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Today, Jesus, you put me on my guard against false prophets, those false shepherds who call me to an easier and more comfortable life, but which in the end neither fills me nor gives me true happiness. There are many wolves in sheep's clothing, Jesus... and also sheep in wolf's clothing!
Today you want to make me see that there are sheep, people who surround me, your children whose hearts have been hardened by pain and suffering. Many of them have suffered an illness, the loss of a loved one, the injustices of men or the bad examples of those of us who call ourselves Christians. They have hardened their hearts, they have closed them to you, Good Shepherd, many times because of me. Every day, Jesus, there are more and more of these sheep in wolf's clothing...and fewer and fewer who pray for them.
Jesus, I ask You for those people who, because of me, because of my bad example, have distanced themselves from You. I want to raise this prayer for all my brothers and sisters for whom I normally do not pray.
Today, instead of raising my finger to accuse them, I want to raise my heart to you to intercede for them. I ask your forgiveness for them... and also for myself, for probably some, because of my bad example, others because of my bad treatment, and all because of my guilty indifference and my complicit silence, have turned away from you.
Forgive me, Jesus! Come, Good Shepherd, and reign over me. Transform my heart. Give me a heart like yours, full of mercy and love. Make me an instrument of your love and mercy. Amen.
«The people followed Jesus because He taught with authority and not like the scribes. People perceive when a priest, a bishop, a catechist, a Christian has that coherence that gives them authority. Jesus warns his disciples about false prophets. How to discern where are the true prophets and where are the ‘pseudo-prophets’, where are the true preachers of the Gospel and where are those who preach a Gospel that is not the Gospel. Three key words to understand this: speak, act and listen. “Not all those who say to me ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the Kingdom of Heaven”.».
(Homily of H.H. Francis, June 25, 2015).
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'm going to give a few minutes of my time to a street beggar.
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.
