How to find Jesus in the reading of the Gospel

 

 

 
 Your prayer," teaches St. Augustine, "is like a conversation with God. When you read, God speaks to you; when you pray, you speak to Him "16. The Lord speaks to us in many ways when we read the Holy Gospel: he gives us an example with his life so that we imitate him in ours; he teaches us how to behave with our brothers; he reminds us that we are children of God and that nothing should take away our peace; he calls the attention of our hearts, to forgive that small grievance we have received; He encourages us to prepare carefully for frequent Confession, where the Father in Heaven awaits us to embrace us; he asks us to be merciful to the defects of others on that day, as he was to the highest degree; he urges us to sanctify our work, doing it with human perfection, as was his task during the many years of his life in Nazareth. .. Every day we can draw out a purpose, a teaching, a thought that we will remember as we work. That is why, if possible, it would be better to read those few minutes first thing in the morning and then exercise ourselves in that simple teaching that will help us to improve a little each day. There are even those who read it standing up, recalling the old custom of the first Christians, who remain in the gesture of the Mass of listening to the Gospel in this attitude of vigil.

It will do our souls a lot of good to see to it that the reading of the Gospel often gives us the plot of prayer: sometimes because we will be introduced into the scene as would someone who saw the group gathered around Jesus, or stood at the door from where the Master was teaching, or on the shore of the lake.... Perhaps only a part of the parable or a few isolated phrases reached him, but that was enough for something very profound to begin to change in his soul; on other occasions we will dare to tell him something: perhaps what those same characters spoke to him or shouted to him, because his need was great: Domine, ut videam!17, that I may see, Lord, give light to my soul, enlighten me; O God, have mercy on me, for I am a sinner18 , we will beg him with the words of the publican who did not feel worthy to stand before his God; Domine, tu omnia nosti.... Lord, You know all things, You know that I love You19..., and the words of Peter will take on a personal accent in our heart, and we will express to Him the feelings and desires of love and purification that fill our heart.... Many times we will contemplate his Most Holy Humanity, and seeing him as a perfect Man will move us to love him more, to have the desire to be more faithful to him. We will see Him working in Nazareth, helping St. Joseph, later taking care of His Mother..., or tired because He has preached for many hours that day, or the road has been very long....


Every day, while we read the Gospel, Jesus passes by us. Let us not fail to see and hear him, like those disciples who met him on the road to Emmaus.

  "Stay with us, for it is dark...". The prayer of Cleophas and his companion was effective.

"-What a pity, if you and I did not know how to "stop" Jesus passing by, what pain, if we did not ask him to stay!

 

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