J 16, 5-11

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:  Jesus stays with his disciples in the Upper Room all the time and prepares them for his departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. See the Upper Room, look at Jesus and the disciples. Feel the atmosphere of this place, those moments of farewell to Jesus. Be in the upper room with the disciples and Jesus.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: that I would be able to accept the reality in which God comes to me

1. Purifying.

Jesus must go away so that the Holy Spirit can come to judge the world. This judgment does not consist in condemning the world, but in purifying it from sin, so that the world will become capable of more and more fruitfulness. Purifying itself is not an easy and painless process, but it leads to the reconciliation of the world.

Each of us is subjected to such a process of purification, so that integration will take place in us through the understanding and acceptance of our life story, the space of feelings and desires. The process of purification allows us to live in God’s fuller joy, to be in peace with ourselves, to accept another person with love. St. Augustine preyed: Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know You. Therefore, knowing yourself leads to a more complete knowledge of God.

Look inside yourself: what areas of yours need purification, what acceptance do you have for it? Let this process be, it will help you live in greater joy in God.

2. Sadness and consolation.

Once again Jesus talks about his leaving and the coming of the Advocate. Disciples seem to be more focused on the departure of their Teacher. They feel sad even though Jesus promises them the Holy Spirit, whose coming will be useful for them. Understanding and accepting reality fully, with what they lose and what they gain is difficult. Perseverance may be easier than looking for hope and seeing joy. Perhaps life in some despair and sadness justifies stagnation, doing nothing, not changing. Searching for what is good and hope forces us to do something, detach ourselves from our old thinking, beliefs and patterns.Take this to yourself, your life and see what is born in you.

3. … none of you asks me, “Where are you going?”

I invite you to ask yourself this question: where am I going? What is my goal, what gives me meaning in my life, what makes me want to get up and live the day?

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)