Lk 21,5-11

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: See the magnificent temple, adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God. Imagine how the temple looks inside and outside. Also, see the people gathered there, who admire its beauty. Maybe you are also among them.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: the desire to seek and find what brings me closer to God and gives me his joy

1. (…) the temple … was adorned with costly stones (…). All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone that will be thrown down.

a) Sometimes in our life we admire what is external and nourishes our eyes, that is, we stop at the stones of today’s gospel. This applies to all areas of our life: at home we fight for order, at work for praise and finances, in our spiritual life we grasp what gives strong emotional experiences, we like the great settings of the Holy Mass. In the context of the upcoming Christmas we will strive for beautiful home decor, tasty dishes, maybe gifts. Of course, all this is also good and necessary, but on one condition that it leads us to the depths, to greater union in God. If it doesn’t, we’ll be crushed like a temple. What do you care for in your life? With what do you fill the temple that you are, that is also your home, family?

b). In our interior, sometimes various walls must collapse, a stone must fall from a stone so that we can get closer and closer to a true image of God.

The above-mentioned collapses and façades may be difficult to accept and may not be understood at first. Only in retrospect do we begin to see the purposefulness of what happened in us. We begin to see how our interior is cleansed and the image of God that we carry within us is cleansed. Perhaps the most cleansing process for us is simply embracing and accepting life, the reality we experience every day.

  2.See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, “I am he”, and “The time has come.” Do not follow them!

In a commentary on today’s passage in the Holy Scriptures of St.Paul, we read: The great trap that threatens believers is believing false predictions about the end of the world. Christians in general should avoid all speculation on these topics. They should take a similar position in the face of emerging wars and natural disasters. They have always tormented humanity and their appearance cannot be treated as a sign that the end of the world is near.

So often we hear various prophecies about the end of the world, about the three days of darkness. We grapple with this by repeatedly coming into fear, which usually does not lead us to a relationship with God based on trust, love. Rather, we become children who fear the father’s punishment. God wants happiness for us. He wants us to have deep joy. What are you feeding in your life? Who and what are you listening to?

3. … do not be terrified.

Jesus is saying to you: do not be terrified! What are these words doing in you? What will you do to make each Advent day a joyful anticipation of the coming of the Lord who constantly comes to you at every moment?  

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)