Meditation LK 11,37-41

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: Jesus was invited by the Pharisee for a meal. So, Jesus went to his house. Contrary to customs, Jesus did not wash himself before eating, but he went to the table and took his place. The Pharisee expressed his surprise with the behavior of Jesus. Jesus then criticized the attitude of the Pharisees. The guest criticizes the host of the house. Be present in this scene.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for my encounter Jesus

1. The Pharisee invites Jesus for a meal to his home and expects Jesus to wash first and then sit down at the table. However, this is not happening. Jesus comes, he answers the Pharisee’s invitation, but he does not do what the Pharisee expects. Maybe the Pharisee wanted to welcome Jesus on his terms, and Jesus did not fulfill them. The Pharisee, therefore, feels surprised, perhaps disappointed.

a) And how do you invite Jesus? What are your conditions? What are your expectations? What are the feelings that make you Jesus’s visit?

b) How do you accept others? What are your expectations for others? What are you giving them?

c) How do you accept yourself? What goods have you given lately?

2. Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?

How do you care for what is the outsideand what is the inside? Remember that what is outside and what is inside should lead you to the Fullness of Life in God here and now.

3. Invite Jesus to your home, to your heart. Jesus knows what you need and what is best for you. He knows and loves you. Let him come as he wants. Accept Jesus as you can.

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)