Meditation J 1,19-28

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: The Levites and priests come to Bethany across the Jordan. They traveled that way to meet John the Baptist. They did not do it by themselves, but they were sent by Jews. Therefore, this meeting was not supposed to be social, nor did it come from the good heart of the arrivals. Their goal was to get the answer to the question: who is John the Baptist. Listen to the conversation, look at the faces of the participants of this event. Are you there?

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the desire and ability to be in now 

1. Who are you? ; What do you have to say for yourself?

John Baptist heard both questions and probably answered. He knew his identity and his mission: he baptized with water people to prepare them for meeting Jesus.
Today both questions are addressed to you: who you are and what you have to say for yourself. What will you answer? What is your identity and what is your mission, your vocation, that you do in the place you live now? What is your openness to discovering your mission each day? Mission means your answer to the question: what are you doing to get closer to your goal? So let’s ask one more question: what is your main goal and the smaller goals that lead to the main goal?

2. (…) but there is one among you whom you do not recognize (…)

The Jews wait for the coming of the Messiah, and John says that he is already here, only those, who wait for him, cannot recognize Messiah. Why? What does disturb them in this?
Do you recognize Jesus and his miracles, that he does for you every day? Are you still waiting for fireworks? Maybe the miracle, that Jesus does for you, is that you can get up the next day, smile to your loved ones, drink your favorite coffee, tea and just normally live this day with your difficulty, weakness, illness? To live does not mean to wait for a miracle, but to be in the present, because the present is a miracle, that you wouldn’t notice if you still wait and not be. Look at your life in this context, your last days: how do you recognize the action of Jesus at that time, what miracles did he do for you?

3. Jesus is standing next to you and asking: Who am I to you? What will you tell him?  

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)