Meditation Lk 2, 16-21

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.(The Spiritual Exercises No.46)

Fixing a place, a picture for meditation: Shepherds travel to Bethlehem to see Jesus. See what their way looks like, what time of day it is. In the end, they reach Bethlehem and find Mary, Joseph and a small baby – Jesus. After the visit, they return and tell everybody about what they saw.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for my trust in God

1…. he was called Jesus, the name given by angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Think about yourself, your name: what is the meaning to you. God has given you your identity (the name that God gives always contains Love in contrast from false names that someone can give or others give). Ask yourself: who am I, where do I look for my identity? Tell your name, listen to it, maybe you will discover its meaning (do not read about it on the internet, but listen to its sound). God gave you a name before you were conceived in the womb, He wanted you to be born.

Let yourself hear God say your name.

2. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

I encourage you to look at the last year: what God has told you, showed – through the situations and people you met. What specific goods did you receive? Thank God today for people, specific events (do not say “for everything”). What have you learned and understood thanks to them?

3. The beginning of the year is the good moment to taking new decisions. If you also want to make decisions (or move away from certain habits), think about how they can help you grow and your relationships with others and with God. Do not make many decisions, but one small, if you see that it is good during a month, then you can add another … small steps that will make you live a fuller life in God.

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)