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10 minutes with Jesus. Today: Keep hold of the rope

by 10 Minutes with Jesus
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10 minutes wih Jesus are group of Catholic priests who share friendship with Jesus, plus keenness to help young people of all ages to learn the art of loving Jesus and speaking to Him. You can find them in WhatsApp, Spotify, Ivoox, Telegram, Goggle Podcasts and Apple Podcast. Every saturday, we are going to share one meditation by 10 minutes with Jesus. Enjoy it.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me, I adore you with profound reverence. I beg your pardon for my sins, and the grace to make this time of prayer fruitful; my immaculate Mother, Saint joseph, my father and Lord; my guardian Angel intercede for me. 

The  minotaur

Have you heard of the story in  Greek mythology about the  minotaur? The story is about a creature that is half-man and half-beast. He has the body of a man, the head and tail of a bull. He was so dreadful to behold, and dangerous to be left free, that he was imprisoned in a cave. Inside the cave, a labyrinth was made. Each year, those who had imprisoned the minotaur, brought him sacrificial offerings. The best young men and women they could find. 

They were put inside the cave and were either eaten by the beast or died alone inside. After losing their way in the great labyrinth, at some point, according to the story, a young warrior decided to offer himself. He was taken to the maze in order to kill the minotaur. Before entering the cave, the woman who loved him, learned the secret on how to win. She gave him some rope to tie outside the cave.

The cave

Before entering it, he tied the rope outside and release it as he walked, so that after killing the creature, he could find his way out. This is precisely what he did. He arrived at the cave, tied the rope around him, went deep into the labyrinth and killed the beast. He came out victorious. The end of the story is quite shocking, but for now, what I have told you suffices for our time of prayer. In a way, life is like a labyrinth where we can lose our way, if we do not keep hold of that rope that has been given to us. 

The word

This rope is the word of God. By listening to it, we can venture into the heart of the world and come out victorious. When the Lord calls us to Him, Father thank you for the care you have towards us. Jesus, thank you for your word. Holy spirit, thank you for enlightening our minds and hearts in order to understand it. Our loving God does not leave us in the wide-open sea without direction. He has given us that rope, that lifeline, to help us make our way home.

The word of God is like a GPS, if we are docile enough, we will find our way home. From this life to life with you, our Lord, and with all your Saints in Heaven. Perhaps, this is why you emphasize two things in today’s gospel. Listening to your word and keeping it. You say happy are those who hear the word of God and keep i. Let us reflect on the first aspect 

The gospel

Do I hear your word? Do I make a real effort to read the gospel? Ponder about this.  Savor it. Enter it. I try to understand what you are saying to me, like many things in life. What is important is consistency. If I want to play the piano well, I have to be consistent in the times I spend practicing. If I want to be a good athlete, I have to be consistent in my training. If I want to be a good student, I have to be consistent with my studies. Consistency, day in and day out, is the same principle that applies to our internal life. If I want to be a saint, I need consistency in my life, praying.

This includes consistency in the times I make, to listen to God’s word in silence. You might recall the words of Pope Francis, in his apostolic exhortation on holiness issued in 2018. The Pope emphasized the importance of silent prayer. He writes “I do not believe in holiness, without prayer, even though that prayer need not be lengthy or involve intense emotion”. Jesus, in this time of prayer, we ask you for consistency. Consistency in our life of prayer. Consistency in pondering your word and gospels. Consistency so that we do this, each day without failure, even if it is even only for a few minutes.

The way

Even if I do not experience intense emotions, this is the way to keep that rope in hand. So that I can navigate life with great confidence, with joy, and peace knowing where I am going and where I am heading. The other aspect, is keeping the word of God, not only listening, but also keeping it. The question we can ask here, is how do I know if I am keeping the word of God? Are there any signs that can tell me if I am keeping it? You see, we humans are masters at self-deception. For this reason, it is good to find objective ways to confront and examine yourself.

To see if I am, in fact, listening and keeping the word of God. Or what I am doing is simply showing when embraced. Keeping the word of God changes you, the heart transforms into another. Jesus into Jesus himself. One concrete way to check if I am listening and keeping God’s word, is to see if I am a source of unity. You, Lord, came to reconcile that which the devil has divided. You came to gather what have been scattered. Those who keep you worried, and are being transformed into your likeness, will naturally do the same. 

The unity

They will be sources of unity. Reconciling and covering, instead of dividing. Am I a source of unity for those around me? Am I a source of unity in the church? Anyone today might agree that the Church is very divided. First, some have created division in the church by labeling themselves, as favoring or being against the Pope. Then, there is a division created by those who choose to label themselves as favoring or being against, the treatment in mass or the novice order.

More recently, some divide the Church by being in favor or against the bishops during this time of COVID 19 and all the liturgical restrictions around it, such as in some dioceses, only allowing holy communion in the hand division. Division and more division. This is a clear sign and an objective symptom that shows that I am not listening to the word of God and keeping it. Jesus, the way forward is your word. 

The church

Your word that transforms and makes us be like You, unifiers. This is especially true, when it comes to the church. Give us the grace not to divide, but to unify by always remaining exteriorly and interiorly united to the Church, to the Pope, to our bishops. Mary, our mother, will help us. She is the one who opens her arms to give us the rope that can help us make Her way through the labyrinth. She gives us her son and she shows us how to ponder his word in our hearts.

The end

I thank you, my God for the good resolutions, affections, and inspirations that you have communicated to me in this meditation. I ask your help to put them into effect. My immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph my father, and Lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

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