“Stone upon Stone”
Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, priest, and fellow martyrs
Preparatory Prayer
(to place myself in God’s presence)
Lord, being your friend is equivalent to being a man or woman of prayer. I ask for the grace to know how to withdraw from the noise of my worries in order to listen to your voice within me. Only then will I be able to fulfill my baptismal vocation, only then will I be able to bring you and your Gospel to others. Teach me to pray, Lord!
Gospel of the Day
(to guide your meditation)
From the holy Gospel according to Saint Luke 21:5-11
At that time, as some were admiring the solidity of the temple’s construction and the beauty of the votive offerings that adorned it, Jesus said: “The day will come when not one stone will be left upon another of all this that you are admiring; everything will be destroyed.”
They asked him: “Teacher, when will this happen, and what will be the sign that it is about to take place?”
He answered them: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and the time is near. Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified; these things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
Then he said to them: “Nations will rise against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms. There will be great earthquakes, famines, and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights and great signs from heaven.”
Word of the Lord.
Reflect on what God is saying to you in the Gospel
(we suggest you read what the Pope said about this)
“Jesus said: ‘What you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; everything will be destroyed.’ Naturally, they ask him: When will this happen? What will be the signs? But Jesus directs their attention away from these secondary aspects – when will it happen? How will it be? – and focuses on the true questions. And there are two:
First: not to be deceived by false messiahs and not to be paralyzed by fear. Second: to live the time of waiting as a time of testimony and perseverance. And we are in this time of waiting, waiting for the Lord’s coming.
This speech of Jesus is always relevant, even for us living in the 21st century. He repeats to us: ‘Look, do not let yourselves be deceived. For many will come claiming to be me.'”
It is an invitation to discernment. This Christian virtue involves understanding where the Spirit of the Lord is and where the evil spirit is. Even today, there are false “saviors” who try to replace Jesus: leaders of this world, holy men, even sorcerers, characters who seek to attract minds and hearts, especially of young people. Jesus warns us: “Do not follow them!” “Do not follow them!” (Pope Francis, Angelus of November 17, 2013).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer; prepare to speak with great love to the One who loves you.
Purpose
Set a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved… or, if you believe it is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
Reflect on the books, TV series, movies that I usually watch. Are they helping me grow in love for God and others? What should I change so that my leisure and rest time is constructive?
