Iván Yoed González, 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)
Mary, take me to Jesus. May I contemplate his heart as you did. May I imitate Him, as you did. May I learn to be with Him until I touch the wood of the cross.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to John 15:1-8
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples: «I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. The branch in me that bears no fruit he plucks up, and the branch that bears fruit he prunes so that it may bear more fruit. You are already purified by the words I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in me and I in him, he bears abundant fruit, for without me you can do nothing. He who does not abide in me is cast out as a branch and withers; then they gather him up and throw him into the fire and he burns. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. The glory of my Father is that you bear much fruit and so show yourselves to be my disciples».
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
It is indeed difficult, many times, to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord. Sometimes things happen that we do not expect, especially when we felt so close to the Lord. And then I ask myself, have I not been faithful to you, Lord, for so long, have I not given you my «yes» at the crosses I have encountered on my way, have you not seen me struggling to remain in your service? What has happened that, even being so united, so united to you, Lord, it seems that an evil has befallen me that I did not deserve?
Yes, it is indeed difficult for me so often to understand your steps. Others who live far from you seem to triumph more than many who strive to serve you. I smell something of paradox in your doctrine. But... I also try to remember your words of contradiction that you pronounced with the beatitudes. The persecuted would be happy, those who mourn, consoled, the mistreated, justified.
Sometimes I understand your plans with a marvelous clarity, other times I ignore them with a darkness that unsettles even the flesh. So I wonder if even being with you is about understanding you. I wonder if I should just trust. If this one goes this way and lives that way, if that one lives that way and reaches such goals, if the other succeeds, the other fails, what's in it for me? It is true that an interest in my neighbor must always exist, and that it springs from charity. But, on the other hand, I hear the words from your mouth that simply say to me: «You follow me».
In short, it seems that my Christian vocation does not have its core in success or failure, but in always being united to Christ. At times I will understand much of my life, at other times little or nothing. Today, however, you have given me a light that can console me again and again: God prunes the tree that bears fruit. But he prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
«Jesus reminds us: “Without me you can do nothing”. He is the one who sustains us and encourages us to seek ways to make unity an ever more evident reality. Undoubtedly, separation has been an immense source of suffering and misunderstanding; but it has also led us to sincerely realize that without him we can do nothing, giving us the possibility of better understanding some aspects of our faith».
(Homily of H. H. Francis, October 31, 2016)
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 thank Jesus Christ for those crosses that have cost me the most in my life; I will ask Him to set my heart on fire again, and once again I will give Him my whole being, full, full of trust in Him.
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.
