Meditation J 14,27-31
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 prepares disciples for his going away. Maybe they are in an apartment, maybe they are sitting around the table. Look at the disciples as they listen to Jesus, how they respond to his words. Maybe they are experiencing sadness, anxiety. Find a place for yourself in this scene.
Ask for the fruit of meditation: for peace in my heart flowing from a relationship with God
1.Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.
According to the New Testament Dictionary, Xavier Leon-Dufour, we can read that, the essence of peace consists not only of the lack of war, of all confusion, but also of a kind of internal relaxation, the culprit of which is only the God of peace. The peace, that God gives, is not of this world.
What is the peace that Jesus gives to you? How do you feel and understand it? Jesus offered you peace, how do you use this gift? In what spaces, areas of life do you need more peace?
2. Jesus prepares disciples for his going away. He leaves to come again. Perhaps disciples feel sadness, anxiety, and loss. Jesus says to them, do not be afraid. It can be difficult for disciples to understand these words. It is natural that we feel fear of something new, different, before the change (the better one too).
a) Think about it, get insight you, in what places, spaces do you not step forward, not develop yourself because of your fear? What can you do to not follow the fear? You can start with very small changes that will take you to bigger ones over time. So what will you start with?
b) We have different images of God, created on the basis of our life story, life experiences. Perhaps today’s announcement of Jesus’s going out and the coming again is an encouragement for you to say goodbye to your image of God, in order to discover God anew, to enter into a new, changed relationship with Him.
3. Be for a few minutes, as you can, with Jesus, who offers you his love and peace.
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)
