Meditation J 15,1-8

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: Imagine a vine bush: stem, twigs, fruit. See how big it is, what color it has, what color the grapes have. Each branch, so that it can grow, draws the juice from the main stem. Look how this juice spreads to every branch, and every branch that has reached the juice grows and begins to bear fruit. Note, too, dry branches, withered to which the juice did not reach. They have no fruit. Look at the entire vine, which, thanks to the branches that draws the juices from it, becomes bigger and more beautiful.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the courage to submit to the process of purification, so that we can do more goods for God’s glory 

1.Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

a) First notice that Jesus abides in you, he is in you. You do not have to strain, do nothing to let him be. He is. How do you experience his presence in yourself? How does the awareness of the presence of Jesus affect you, what you do, say, move? How do you feel with Jesus who is in you?

b) Jesus in this passage speaks of love as mutual abiding in itself: the bush nourishes twigs, which, thanks to this, can bear fruit. Love consists in mutual sharing, namely that the loving person gives to the beloved what he/ she has … (Saint Ignatius of Loyola). Look deep inside yourself: what gifts do you have, what is your wealth? Look for yourself in what you can share with others (you cook tasty, you can repair things, you can listen, smile nicely …). What today will you share with your loved ones? How will you show them love?

2.God every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.

Every branch needs cleaning, this will allow it to draw more life-giving juices from the bush, and thus even more fruit. What spaces in you require purification, ordering? Perhaps it seems to you that the change will disturb your security, maybe other fears stand before consenting to purification (what?). See, however, what you can gain thanks to the process of purification. Imagine how this cleansing creates new places in you, better juices, more valuable ones, thanks to which you will feel happier and give more fruit. Thank to fruits, you enable others to know God, his goodness, beauty. So, let’s take a chance and purify yourself.

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)