We have been called by name (Is 43:1). God looks upon each of us and entrusts us with a place in his dream for the world. “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last” (Jn 15:16).

This call does not rest on our own strength: it is born of God’s mercy and sustained by it. He does not choose us because we are perfect, but because He loves us; He does not send us only once we have reached the required measure, but raises us up again and again. The experience of his forgiveness is the firm ground on which we can respond without fear. When we “reread” our life in prayer, including its limitations and mistakes, we discover that God’s faithfulness is greater than our resistance.

St. Joseph accompanies us, a just and faithful man. He too knew how to trust when he did not understand everything, quietly sustaining the work of God. In his life we learn that fullness does not consist in never failing, but in listening again, welcoming God’s will, and responding each day.

May this recollection help us rediscover the joy of having been called, ask for light to guide our lives more closely according to God’s plans, and respond generously in the thousand activities and relationships that make up our daily life.

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.

In a letter dated 28 October 2020, Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz reflected on the spirit of Opus Dei and how it is lived in accord with each person’s circumstances.

After reading or listening to part of the letter, you may wish to 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).

Click here for a transcription of this meditation.

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.

• The widow in the Gospel, from her poverty, gives all that she had to live on to the Temple treasury (Mk 12:44). Am I generous? Do I trust that God will do great things with the possessions I place at his service?
• Be merciful as your Father is merciful (Lk 6:36). Do I try to be merciful in order to obtain God’s mercy and that of others? Do I ask God to increase my capacity for understanding, for overlooking the faults of others, and for seeing the good side of events and people around me?
• “Do you hold grudges against your children? No, of course not. And in the same way, when we ask his forgiveness, our Lord always gives it. He forgives everything!” (St. Josemaria, quoted in the book Antes, más y mejor, L. Linares, Rialp, 2001). Am I holding any grudges? Do I ask our Lord for help to make my forgiveness more real and sincere?
• It is not you who have chosen me, it is I who have chosen you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit (Jn 15:16). Do I ask the Holy Spirit for light to help me discover God’s plans for me and give me the strength to follow his call? How can I redirect my life to contribute to God’s plans for the world?
• Follow me and I will make you fishers of men (Mt 4:19). Do I seek to renew my sense of mission as a Christian, confident that I can always count on the Lord’s company? Do I think about and pray for souls with whom I can share Christ's joy?
• The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field (Mt 13:45). Do I spend time remembering how the Lord has guided me over the course of my life? Do I see my Christian vocation as a path to happiness?

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.

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.

Click here to read this homily in text.

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.