A monthly recollection is a chance to step back from the whirlwind of daily tasks for a few hours of quiet prayer spent looking at God, the world, and ourselves. It is not always easy to find time to pray, but it is always worthwhile.

The best way to enjoy this recollection is to find a time that you can commit to spending with our Lord, and a calm place—free of distractions—where you can pray. Set aside other tasks, switch your phone to “do not disturb,” and grab a notebook. It is a good idea to make note of resolutions and ideas throughout the recollection, but the most important thing is to put yourself in front of our Lord, to look at Him and to let Him look at you.

I. Introduction

II. Meditation: Christ Brings Peace to Our Troubled Life (30 minutes)

III. Spiritual Reading (10-15 minutes)

IV. Holy Rosary (20 minutes)

V. Examination of Conscience (5-10 minutes)

VI. Meditation: Vocation: We Are Called By God (30 minutes)

I. INTRODUCTION

"Today, I would like to reflect on the connection between prayer and the communion of saints. In fact, when we pray, we never do so alone: even if we do not think about it, we are immersed in a majestic river of invocations that precedes us and proceeds after us.

"Prayers — those that are good — are 'expansive,' they propagate themselves continuously, with or without being posted on social media: from hospital wards, from moments of festive gatherings to those in which we suffer silently... The suffering of each is the suffering of all, and one’s happiness is transmitted to someone else’s soul. Suffering and happiness are part of a single history: they are stories that create history in one’s own life. This history is relived in one’s own words, but the experience is the same.

"Prayer is always born again: each time we join our hands and open our hearts to God, we find ourselves in the company of anonymous saints and recognized saints who pray with us and who intercede for us as older brothers and sisters who have preceded us on this same human adventure. In the Church there is no grief that is borne in solitude, there are no tears shed in oblivion, because everyone breathes and participates in one common grace. It is no coincidence that in the ancient church, people were buried in gardens surrounding a sacred building, as if to say that, in some way, the multitude who preceded us participate in every Eucharist. Our parents and grandparents are there, our godfathers and godmothers are there, our catechists and other teachers are there... That faith that was passed on, transmitted, that we received. Along with faith, the way of praying and prayer were also transmitted.

"Saints are still here, not far away from us; and their representations in churches evoke that 'cloud of witnesses' that always surrounds us (cf. Heb 12:1). (...) Saints remind us that holiness can blossom even in our lives, however weak and marked by sin" (Pope Francis, audience, 7-IV-2021).

II. MEDITATION

We all have troubles in life, but pain and failures are not final. Christ brings us true peace, not the kind the world gives, but deep and lasting peace. Listen to this meditation here:

The most important part of the meditation is your personal conversation with our Lord. You can use the priest's prayer to inspire your own.

This meditation is part of the podcast "Meditations in Manhattan." You can subscribe to it on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

III. SPIRITUAL READING

“You write,” says St. Josemaria in The Way, no. 117: “'In my spiritual reading I build up a store of fuel. It looks like a lifeless heap, but I often find that my memory, of its own accord, will draw from it material which fills my prayer with life and inflames my thanksgiving after Communion.'”

We suggest spending 10-15 minutes reading St. Josemaria's homily "Passionately Loving the World." Afterward, you can spend a few minutes with the Gospel, reading, for instance, St. Matthew's narration of Jesus' response when the disciples ask who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven, the gospel of the feast of the guardian angels on 2 October.

IV. HOLY ROSARY

The Holy Rosary is an ancient Christian prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, asking her to pray for all her children in our time of need. You can find a description of how to pray the Rosary here, and download the Litany of Loreto (traditionally prayed at the end of the Rosary) here.

V. EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE 

The questions below can help us consider in the presence of God how we’ve responded to His love in our acts and omissions. It may help to begin by invoking the Holy Spirit and to end with an act of contrition, expressing our sorrow for our sins and imploring God’s grace to return and remain close to Him. The act of contrition can be any we like, including one as simple as Peter’s words to Jesus after the Resurrection: "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you" (Jn 21:17).

1. "Gratias tibi, Deus, gratias tibi! Our lives must be canticles of thanksgiving, because of the way Opus Dei came to be. You have done it all, Lord..." (Notes from a meditation, March 27, 1975). Do I give thanks to God for the Work and for the initiatives promoted by people of Opus Dei, with their friends and acquaintances?

2. "Lift up your eyes and look at the fields that are golden for harvest" (Jn 4:35). Do I recognize that God may be relying on me to carry this part of the Church forward? How do I allow the Lord to inspire me with this apostolic panorama?

3. St. Josemaría reminds us: "your ordinary contact with God takes place where your fellow men, your yearnings, your work and your affections are" (Passionately Loving the World). In which of these areas might I discover and make our Lord more known?

4. "The Lord chose us before the foundation of the world to be saints," St. Paul reminds us (Eph. 1:4). What new dreams does the knowledge that I have been chosen by God with a love of predilection bring me to consider? How can I share them with my family?

5. "Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil" (Prayer to St. Michael). St. Michael is a patron of Opus Dei. When could I rely more on his protection?

6. "Pray for the Pope often. Love him very much, very much!" (Notes from a get together, 11-V-1965). Do I pray for the whole Church, especially for the Pope and the bishops, trusting that my prayer is a real, effective help?

7. The Rosary is "a powerful weapon to overcome our inner struggle and help all souls" (Holy Rosary, Prologue). What needs do I entrust to our Lady in the Rosary? Do I try to pray the Holy Rosary, when I can, with my whole family?

VI. MEDITATION

God has chosen us, in Christ, from the beginning of time. The Lord in his infinite mercy draws us closer and closer to Himself. Jesus knocks at the door of our hearts. Let us be generous in our response to that call. Listen to this meditation here:

The most important part of the meditation is your personal conversation with our Lord. You can use the priest’s prayer to inspire your own.

This meditation is part of the podcast "Meditations in Manhattan." You can subscribe to it on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Podcast Addict, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.