Angélica Roa, CRC
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)
My Lord, today I return to your feet and kneel before you, so that you may speak to my heart. I experience a deep need for freedom. What is that freedom of the children of God to which you call me? Grant me the grace to open myself to understand your words, to understand what it means to be truly free; give me the courage to set aside all those false securities that enslave me.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the holy Gospel according to John 8:31-42
At that time, Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves to anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?‘ Jesus replied, ’Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. A slave does not remain in the house forever; a son always remains. So if the Son makes you free, you will truly be free. I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. I speak what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were children of Abraham, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father.” They answered him, “We are not illegitimate children; we have only one Father, God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
“If you keep my word, you are truly my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”. Free...! Yes, Lord, I want to be free! But what is this true freedom that You offer? I've sought it in so many things, in so many places, within and outside of myself... and I haven't found it. I realize that the more I seek myself, the more I experience a strange slavery to my ideas, my projects, the whims that bind me... and there I don't find the true freedom that makes me whole.
Isn't this precisely what these Pharisees, who placed their security in their titles and honors (“children of Abraham”), experienced in their hearts? How difficult it is to open ourselves to other paths, other values, another way of seeing things! All this enslaves us and takes away true freedom: “the freedom of the children of God.”.
I want to delve into my heart, under your gaze, so that you may illuminate me and help me discover what enslaves me, what does not allow me to open myself to your grace… Lord, I long for that freedom of true children of God, who know they are infinitely loved and there find their dignity and the meaning of their lives!
Help me, by your grace, to free myself from all that binds me to this earth; help me to embrace the salvation you come to offer me, again and again, to transform me inwardly and to let myself be guided to the Promised Land. Help me to bear witness, through my life, to this dignity of being your child, so that I may help my brothers and sisters to find you and discover the true meaning of their lives and embrace your salvation.
«We know, however, that one of the most widespread modern conceptions of freedom is this: “my freedom ends where yours begins.” But the relationship, the bond, is missing here! It is an individualistic vision. However, whoever has received the gift of liberation brought about by Jesus cannot think that freedom consists in being far from others, feeling them as a nuisance, cannot see the human being perched on himself, but always included in a community. The social dimension is fundamental for Christians, and it allows them to look to the common good and not to private interest.» (H.H. Francis, Catechesis of October 20, 2021).
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.
In my nightly examination of conscience, I will see how many times I remembered my dignity as a child of God and lived according to it, and where I allowed myself to become enslaved again by my whims. I will ask the Lord's forgiveness and ask for His grace.
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.
