Remain in his prayer
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Mt 14:22-23)
Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone
REFLECTION
The Heart of Jesus remains in constant prayer and it is from there that it lives its self-giving and mission. He spends the whole night in prayer to the Father before choosing his disciples (cf. Lk 6:12); he praises the Father while preaching, realizing that the Father reveals himself to the small and simple (cf. Mt 11:25-26); he thanks the Father because he knows that the Father always listens to him (cf. Jn 11:41); he invites others to go up the mountain to pray and strengthens them in their faith (cf. Lk 9:28-29); he prays to the Father for all of us from his priestly Heart (cf. Jn 17). He prays more intensely in his agony (cf. Mt 26:36) prays for the forgiveness of his executioners (cf. Lk 23:34) and finally gives up his Spirit in a deep prayer of trust and abandonment (cf. Mt 27).
FINAL PRAYER
Heart of Jesus, teach us to remain in the prayer that you raise to the Father in the liturgy, in adoration and thanksgiving, in intercession, and in asking for forgiveness. For the disciple who prays never withers, and lives united to the source that makes the mission of the Kingdom fruitful.
Prayer of the Heart of Christ
Teach Me to Pray
