Meditation Lk 2, 16-21

Stand in God’s presence. God is present here and now, looking upon you with love.
Ask for the Grace:I will beg God our Lordthat all my intentionsand actions may be directed purelyto the praise and serviceof His Divine Majesty.(The Spiritual Exercises No.46)

Fixing a place, a picture for meditation: Shepherds travel to Bethlehem to see Jesus. See what their way looks like, what time of day it is. In the end, they reach Bethlehem and find Mary, Joseph and a small baby – Jesus. After the visit, they return and tell everybody about what they saw.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for my trust in God

 

1…. he was called Jesus, the name given by angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Think about yourself, your name: what is the meaning to you. God has given you your identity (the name that God gives always contains Love in contrast from false names that someone can give or others give). Ask yourself: who am I, where do I look for my identity? Tell your name, listen to it, maybe you will discover its meaning (do not read about it on the internet, but listen to its sound). God gave you a name before you were conceived in the womb, He wanted you to be born.

Let yourself hear God say your name.

  1. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

I encourage you to look at the last year: what God has told you, showed – through the situations and people you met. What specific goods did you receive? Thank God today for people, specific events (do not say “for everything”). What have you learned and understood thanks to them?

  1. The beginning of the year is the good moment to taking new decisions. If you also want to make decisions (or move away from certain habits), think about how they can help you grow and your relationships with others and with God. Do not make many decisions, but one small, if you see that it is good during a month, then you can add another … small steps that will make you live a fuller life in God.

 

Meditation:St Ignatius encourages in The Spiritual Exercises No. 2 … Because not so much knowledge, but internal feeling and the taste of things please and saturate the soul, that is, we stay where we feel interior movement … and nervously do not try to go on.

The final conversation: Spend a little time at the end, being with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit….as you would with a good friend: sometimes talking, sometimes listening, sometimes being together in silence. Speak to God about your feelings. Remember that times when ‘nothing is happening’ can also be significant. When you’re ready, end your prayer by saying thank you or using words that are familiar, such as the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)–whichever feels right and comfortable. (The Spiritual Exercises No.54)

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Meditation Lk 2,1-21

Stand in God’s presence. God is present here and now, looking upon you with love.
Ask for the Grace:I will beg God our Lord that all my intentions and actions may be directed purely to the praise and service of His Divine Majesty.

Fixing a place, a picture for meditation: See Mary in high pregnancy and Joseph. At that moment, they start their journey to fulfill the obligation of register. They leave Nazareth in the north of Israel, and the register takes place in Judea, or Bethlehem, a town in the south of the country. They travel along a road about 160 km long. They reach Judea and there Mary gives birth. You may feel Mary’s anxiety, Joseph’s anxiety. See how they deal with this situation. Many people, shepherds, begin to visit the new born baby. Perhaps the parents of Jesus preferred to be alone then …

Ask for the fruit of meditation: so that I can accept myself and others with love

  1. I encourage you to allow yourself to accompany Miriam and Joseph on the way to Judea, that you may be present at the birth of Jesus, see His birth. Feel what Mary and Joseph could feel. Maybe you can make friends with them, maybe you’ll be useful to them. Be with them as you can in this difficult time.
  2. Looking at this evangelical scene, it can be said that Mary and Joseph were able to accept what the given moment and situation bring. They also accepted arriving people who wanted to see Jesus. It is not about giving in to situations, but about finding the best possible solutions in what happened to them.

How do you accept difficult situations? How do you accept yourself, others?

The Christmas Time is a beautiful time, but often very difficult, we meet people who sometimes more things separates us more than share. Accept everyone as best you can.

3. Mary treasured words in her heart. She did not comment on what was happening, there was no complaint. Maybe first she wanted to understand what was going on, she wanted to understand the curiosity of people who came to see her Son.

How do you act in such situations? What is your ability to give time yourself to react? What are you doing to understand others?

Look at your loved ones: husband, children, wife, confreres, sisters. Maybe today they need your presence more than comments, stories, what happened, where and what someone said. Stay with them.

4.I saw the inscription God’s dreamin one of the churches on Sunday. What dreams does God have? How can you help him meet them?

Look at yourself and others as the greatest fulfilled dream of God. Stay and be with it.

 

Meditation:St Ignatius encourages in The Spiritual Exercises No. 2 … Because not so much knowledge, but internal feeling and the taste of things please and saturate the soul, that is, we stay where we feel interior movement … and nervously do not try to go on.

The final conversation: Spend a little time at the end, being with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit….as you would with a good friend: sometimes talking, sometimes listening, sometimes being together in silence. Speak to God about your feelings. Remember that times when ‘nothing is happening’ can also be significant. When you’re ready, end your prayer by saying thank you or using words that are familiar, such as the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)–whichever feels right and comfortable. (The Spiritual Exercises No.54)

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Meditation Mt 1,18-24

Stand in God’s presence. God is present here and now, looking upon you with love.

Ask for the Grace:I will beg God our Lord that all my intentionsand actions may be directed purely to the praise and serviceof His Divine Majesty

Fixing a place, a picture for meditation: Joseph sleeps in his home, maybe a little anxiously, because it is a difficult time for him. He decided, that he would leave Mary because she was pregnant. And he is not the Father of the child. See how the angel comes to him in the dream and tells him to stay with Mary and the child she will give birth.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: that I may be guided by the greater glory of God in my choices 

1.     Joseph …  was unwilling to expose her to public disgraceThe situation of Joseph seems unenviable. He plans to marry Mary, and at the time he learns that she is pregnant. How could he feel? Presumably he has the difficult feelings, for instance: anger, regret… Still, he does not want to defame, that is, he does not want to denigrate, spoil the reputation of Mary, but he wants to save her as a man. It seems that he can separate a person from an act (although here, of course, Mary did nothing wrong, but Joseph did not know about it yet). More, Joseph finally accepts her. The most important thing for him was the greater glory of God.How do you live and how do you behave in difficult times in relationships with others? What is your party to the other person? What are you with Joseph?

2.     Emmanuel means “God is with us”.God is with us and in each of us. Look at yourself, your loved ones, your husband, your wife, children as those in whom God is. In this last week of Advent, take care of relationships at home, at work. Maybe this year pre-Christmas preparations will be more focused on creating a warm atmosphere, awakening love that somewhere dims in a thousand different duties. Maybe the preparation for the holidays will mean that you and your family will go to the ice rink, that you will make a common conversation, and you and your family will watch a film together. See what do you need to vacuum and clean in your family before Christmas?

3.     Meet with Joseph and Mary. Be with them as you can. What does this meeting teach you?

Meditation:St Ignatius encourages in The Spiritual Exercises No. 2 … Because not so much knowledge, but internal feeling and the taste of things please and saturate the soul, that is, we stay where we feel interior movement … and nervously do not try to go on.

The final conversation: Spend a little time at the end, being with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit….as you would with a good friend: sometimes talking, sometimes listening, sometimes being together in silence. Speak to God about your feelings. Remember that times when ‘nothing is happening’ can also be significant. When you’re ready, end your prayer by saying thank you or using words that are familiar, such as the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)–whichever feels right and comfortable. (The Spiritual Exercises No.54)

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Meditation Mt 18,12-14

Stand in God’s presence. God is present here and now, looking upon you with love.

Ask for the Grace:I will beg God our Lord that all my intentionsand actions may be directed purely to the praise and serviceof His Divine Majesty

Fixing a place, a picture for meditation: See the mountain landscape: peaks, valleys, meadows. There is a shepherd in the mountains with his sheep. He has a hundred sheep. He decides to count them and he sees that there are 99 of them. He leaves the 99 sheep and goes looking for the lost one. After a while he finds the sheep he was looking for. Look, feel his joy for finding a sheep. Where are you in this scene?

Ask for the fruit of meditation: that I find my value in God

1.Shepherd leaves 99 sheep to search of the one. Why did the shepherd take such an irrational step in human perception? It might seem that one less can mean anything compared with such a quantity of sheep. And yet that one was very important for the shepherd. He knew its value, its price, its uniqueness. The sheep was not one of the hundred sheep for him, but the only one he had among others

.-        Look at your life, your affairs, your loved ones: what and why is this unique sheep for you, whom you are able to leave 99 others?

–        The shepherd takes care of the one who is strayed and in need of help. Look at yourself – maybe today you need help. How do you take care of yourself today?

–        We often see the weakest and needy outside our loved ones: we see homeless, sick people. And it’s good. Perhaps, at this time of Advent, it is worth noting straying sheep in your family? Maybe there are neglected relations? Maybe there are people who have not asked how they feel in a long time? Maybe now is it a good time to call, ask if they need something?

2.Now Jesus comes to you as a shepherd, who has found the lost sheep, that you are and for which he left the remaining 99 sheep. He was looking for you because you are special to him. Be with Jesus, let Him enjoy meeting with You.

Meditation:St Ignatius encourages in The Spiritual Exercises No. 2 … Because not so much knowledge, but internal feeling and the taste of things please and saturate the soul, that is, we stay where we feel interior movement … and nervously do not try to go on.

The final conversation: Spend a little time at the end, being with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit….as you would with a good friend: sometimes talking, sometimes listening, sometimes being together in silence. Speak to God about your feelings. Remember that times when ‘nothing is happening’ can also be significant. When you’re ready, end your prayer by saying thank you or using words that are familiar, such as the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)–whichever feels right and comfortable. (The Spiritual Exercises No.54)

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Meditation Lk 10,21-24

Stand in God’s presence. God is present here and now, looking upon you with love.
Ask for the Grace:

I will beg God our Lordthat all my intentionsand actions may be directed purelyto the praise and serviceof His Divine Majesty

Fixing a place, a picture for meditation: Jesus is together with his disciples. In their presence, he says a prayer to his father. Listen to Jesus’s prayer. Look to his disciples, who are around, maybe they are listening to Jesus’s prayer. Maybe you are with them.

 

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the desire to know God

1.     I give you praise, Father … for although … you have revealed them to the childlike.

Why is Jesus talking to his Father in this way? Maybe because only the child is able to accept what is said by the father, mother with confidence and openness. Maybe because he can be interesting to his parents and has a desire to learn about them. Maybe because child can stay honestly with their worries and joys in front of his/ her parents. Maybe because only a child can learn to be the son and daughter of his parents and be proud of it.

What attitude do you have before God? How do you let God reveal himself in your life without imposing your conditions on him? What is your curiosity about God, how do you know him?

  1. Jesus rejoiced.

Jesus can be joyful. He draws this joy from his deep relationship with God. It does not have to be dependent on external circumstances. What can you give your joy? Where do you look for joy? Consider this also in the context of Advent, as a time of joyful waiting for the coming of Jesus. Maybe it is worth taking care of small joys for yourself and your loved ones at this time…

  1. Jesus says that blessed are the eyes that see and the ears that hear.

What are your eyes and ears? What does you make see and hear others, or do not see or hear them? What does you help to hear God’s words and see him, his action in your life?

  1. Meet Jesus in the attitude of childish naivety, as you can.

Let yourself become a small child, full of inner simplicity, openness, trust, willing to discover secrets.

Meditation:St Ignatius encourages in The Spiritual Exercises No. 2 … Because not so much knowledge, but internal feeling and the taste of things please and saturate the soul, that is, we stay where we feel interior movement … and nervously do not try to go on.

The final conversation: Spend a little time at the end, being with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit….as you would with a good friend: sometimes talking, sometimes listening, sometimes being together in silence. Speak to God about your feelings. Remember that times when ‘nothing is happening’ can also be significant. When you’re ready, end your prayer by saying thank you or using words that are familiar, such, as the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)–whichever feels right and comfortable. (The Spiritual Exercises No.54)

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