Balam Loza, 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)
Today, Jesus, I thank You for how much love You have had for me. Like St. Peter, I look at my poor boat, my poor nets and I realize that You have looked at me and loved me. You have called me to be with You and You have said to me «friend». I do not have much that I can offer You. But I give You all that I am. Make of me what you will. Lord, I am yours, I was born for you, what do you want from me.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke 19:11-28
At that time, as Jesus was approaching Jerusalem and the people thought that the Kingdom of God was going to manifest itself at any moment, He told them this parable: “There was a nobleman who went to a distant country to be made king and to return as such. Before he left, he sent for ten of his employees, gave them each a coin of great value and said, ‘Invest this money while I return. But his countrymen hated him and sent delegates after him who said: ’We do not want this man to be our king‘. But he was made king, and when he returned to his country, he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, to know how much each had earned. The first came forward and said to him, ’Sir, your coin has yielded another ten coins.‘ He replied, ’Very good. You are a good employee. Since you have been faithful in a small thing, you will be governor of ten cities.‘ The second came forward and said to him: ’Sir, your coin has produced five more coins. And the lord said to him, ‘You shall be the ruler of five cities. The third came forward and said to him, ’Sir, here is your coin. I have kept it in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man, who claims what he has not invested and reaps what he has not sown‘. The master replied, ’You are a bad employee. By your own mouth I condemn you. You knew that I am a demanding man, that I claim what I have not invested and that I reap what I have not sown, so why did you not put my money in the bank so that I, when I returned, would have recovered it with interest?‘ Then he said to those present: ’Take this one's coin from him and give it to the one who has ten.‘ They said to him, ’Sir, he has ten coins. He said to them, ‘Amen, I say to you, whoever has, to him will be given in abundance, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. As for my enemies, who would not have me as king, bring them here and kill them in my presence.’‘ Having said this, Jesus continued on his way to Jerusalem at the head of his disciples.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
Sometimes it can happen that when we look at ourselves we can focus on the defects, that if I am like this and I don't like it, that I can't handle this or that defect, that I have few qualities. However, if we see the picture better, we can realize that those defects can sometimes hide a great gift. In those defects we find the possibility of being helped. When we cannot do it alone is when we can say to the Lord: I can't do it anymore, help me!
The Lord has placed in our hands a marvelous treasure. What a gift to have faith! What a marvelous treasure to know that Jesus is in our hearts! And as St. Paul says: «We carry a treasure in earthen vessels, that it may be known that such extraordinary power cannot come from us but from God» (2 Cor. 4:7). (2 Cor. 4:7).
So how can we make this treasure bear fruit? Well, first of all by recognizing our limits, but also by recognizing that the Lord has seen us and has given us a very concrete mission. We cannot hide the gift of faith, nor Christ himself in a devotion from the doors of my house to the inside. On the contrary, we must cultivate faith and friendship with Christ day by day. Perhaps this treasure is very poor, like the one who was given a talent, but if we work at it day by day it will grow.
And just as a plant grows with time, with the sun and with the cold, so our faith and our friendship with Jesus will grow by being with Him. Spending time with Jesus will sometimes not be easy and we will have to struggle with fatigue, but he who perseveres will reach. And so, when at the end of life the King calls us, we will be ready to give an account of the treasure entrusted to us.
«In a true examination of conscience: do I remember the wonders that the Lord has done in my life? Do I remember the gifts of God? Am I capable of opening my heart to the prophets, that is, to those who tell me: “This is not working, you should go that way, go ahead, take a risk”, as the prophets do? Am I open to it or am I afraid and prefer to lock myself in the cage of the law? Do I have hope in the promises of God, as our father Abraham had, who left his homeland without knowing where to go, only because he trusted in God?».
(Homily of His Holiness Francis, May 30, 2016, 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 offer You, Jesus, before going to sleep, to spend some time in prayer to examine how I care for the treasure of my faith, to thank You for this gift and to propose to myself a concrete way to duplicate the talents I have received.
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.
