“Each day try to find a few minutes of that blessed solitude which you so much need to keep your interior life going” (The Way, 304).
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🎧 Meditation: A Life of Prayer
👣 Introduction
God shows us what it means to sow generously, pouring out his grace and trusting in our freedom to welcome it and make it bear fruit. Just as in the parable of the sower, his seed falls on the soil of our hearts every day. Sometimes that soil is fertile, and sometimes it has been hardened by noise, haste, or selfishness. But it is never too late to uproot the weeds and fill our souls with good soil, open to God’s Word.
The Jubilee of Hope is a time for us to start fresh, to reconcile with God and others, and open up paths of hope in our families and communities, and we are called, in St. Josemaria’s words, to be “sowers of peace and joy.” This recollection can help us learn from our Lord’s example to sow patiently and generously and to prepare the soil of our own hearts.
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 4 June general audience, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the parable of the labourers in the vineyard.
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: Another Christ
Through our prayer, conversations, and actions, we bring Christ to the souls around us.
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
- “The sower went out to sow. And when he sowed the seed [...] some of it fell on good soil and began to bear fruit” (Mt 13:3-8). Do I trust in the strength of the seed that the Lord has sown in my soul? How can I be more patient with myself and with others, without becoming discouraged when my efforts do not seem to bear the desired fruit?
- “The Lord wants his children in all the honest pathways of this earth, sowing the seeds of understanding and forgiveness, of harmony, charity and peace. —How about you? What are you doing?” (The Forge, 373).
- God has given each of us different talents or qualities and expects us to make them bear fruit. How do I thank the Lord for what he has given me, and how do I look for creative ways to put my qualities at his service, to bring souls closer to God?
- A man “sowed good seed in his field. [But] his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away” (Mt 13:24-25). Do I know how to live with my own imperfections and the those of other people and even of society? Do I ask the Lord to help me not to be discouraged, and to teach me to look at reality supernaturally and with understanding?
- In the face of difficulties, do I try to remember, with St. Paul, that “all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28)? In what ways can I grow in my certainty that God brings good even out of difficult circumstances?
- “My chosen ones will consume the work of their hands. They will not toil in vain [...] for they will be the blessed seed of the Lord” (Is 65:23-24). Moved by trust in God, do I try to overcome the obstacles I encounter when I try to bring someone closer to the Lord? Do I pray and look for ways to help other people?
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: A Life of Prayer
Jesus’ example shows us what it means to pray at all times.
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.