“We continually aspire to something ‘more’ that no created reality can give us; we feel a deep and burning thirst that no drink in this world can satisfy. Knowing this, let us not deceive our hearts by trying to satisfy them with cheap imitations! Let us rather listen to them! Let us turn this thirst into a step stool, like children who stand on tiptoe, in order to peer through the window of encounter with God” (Pope Leo XIV, Homily, 3 August 2025).
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🎧 Meditation: Walking the Emmaus Road
🎧 Meditation: The Richness of Ordinary Life
👣 Introduction
In the month of August, we celebrate the feast of Transfiguration, when Jesus takes just three of his apostles up the mountain with Him and reveals his glory: “His face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light” (Mt 17:2).
“Jesus,” St. Josemaría wrote, reflecting on this scene, “we want to see you, to speak to you! We want to contemplate you, immersed in the immensity of your beauty, in a contemplation that will never cease! It must be wonderful to see you, Jesus! It must be wonderful to see you and be wounded by your love!”
We begin to see God and contemplate his love for us in our ordinary lives, in both great things and small ones, joys and sorrows, work and family life. We can start this recollection by telling our Lord, with St. Josemaría: “We are ready to heed whatever you want to tell us. Speak to us: we are attentive to your voice. May your words enkindle our will so that we launch out fervently to obey you” (Holy Rosary, 4th Luminous Mystery).
A recollection is a period of time dedicated exclusively to God, with periods of mental and vocal prayer (the meditations and recitation of the Rosary), spiritual reading, and silence with God. As the name implies, it’s an opportunity to recollect who we are in front of our loving Father, God, and to bring our whole selves and full attention to Him.
You may wish to pause between the different parts of the recollection to allow each one to make an impression. The Holy Spirit speaks quietly.
Paying full attention can be a challenge. It may be helpful to find a quiet place to sit, stand, or kneel before starting; somewhere you’re not likely to be interrupted. Take some time to turn off any background noises, pause your notifications, and calm the chatter in your own mind. It can be helpful to make paper or digital notes to focus in the moment and to be able to come back to any ideas the Holy Spirit inspires later on.
📚 Spiritual Reading
In his homily in the Mass for the Jubilee of Youth, Pope Leo XIV described the transformative power of an encounter with Christ.
Afterwards, you can spend a few minutes with the New Testament. Click for today’s Gospel and a short commentary.
Spiritual reading means thoughtfully reading spiritual texts like Sacred Scripture and the lives and writings of the saints in order to “build up a store of fuel” that later feeds our prayer (cf. The Way, no. 117).
🎧 Meditation: Walking the Emmaus Road
What does it mean to meet Jesus on the road of our lives?
A meditation is short period of guided mental prayer with the preacher, a priest, talking to God out loud on a set topic, usually a theme from the Gospels. What matters most is your personal conversation with God. The preacher’s goal is to inspire your prayer by giving you light and moving your heart. You may find it helpful to spend more time on certain ideas, follow your own train of thought when the priest’s words inspire something particular in you, or choose an image to keep pondering after the recollection or in your next time of prayer.
💡 Examination of Conscience
- “Jesus took with him Peter, James and John (...) and was transfigured before them” (Mk 9:2). Does looking at and contemplating Christ fill me with hope? What discouragements and sadness could I abandon to the Lord, so that He can bring joy and new life out of them?
- “Master, how good it is to be here; let us make three tents” (Mk 9:5). Being with Jesus is a source of joy. How do I try to share it with my family and friends?
- Joy “has its roots in the shape of the cross” (The Forge, 28). When I encounter difficulties and setbacks in my ordinary tasks, do I know how to discover Christ waiting there for me, embracing the cross and asking me to carry it with Him?
- “And when he had sent the people away, he went up on the mountain to pray by himself” (Mt 14:23). Do I look for time to set aside for personal prayer? And do I ask the Lord to transform my daily occupations, work, and family life through my relationship with Him?
- When I ask the Lord for something, am I insistent, confident that prayer “is omnipotent” and “always fruitful” (The Way, 83 and 101)?
- “Have confidence, it is I; do not be afraid” (Mt 14:27). Before life's insecurities, do I try to abandon myself to the Lord, knowing that those who are in God's hands are in the best place?
Pope Francis described examining our conscience as “the good habit of calmly rereading what happens in our day, learning to note in our evaluations and choices what we give most importance to, what we are looking for and why, and what we eventually find” (Audience, 5-X-2022). The questions in this examination of conscience are related to the themes of this month’s recollection and are meant to help us look past the surface and ask God how we have responded to his love for us. It can help to start by calling on the Holy Spirit, asking for light, and to end with an act of contrition, expressing sorrow for our sins and asking for help to stay close to God.
🙏 Holy Rosary
The Rosary is a traditional Catholic prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, asking her to pray for all her children in their time of need. Through the different prayers that make up the Rosary, we tell our Lady that we love her and we contemplate Jesus' life.
Click to go to a guide for praying the Rosary.
🎧 Meditation: The Richness of Ordinary Life
God has chosen us to be part of his family, and we are his children.
The touchstone of true prayer is that it changes us and makes us better, but not being able to carry your resolutions out immediately or even discovering new weaknesses is not a reason for discouragement: we grow over time, and falls can help us be humble and grateful to God. With perseverance in prayer, you will notice more peace and joy throughout the day, because you are sure God is with you even when the struggle is difficult.