Meditation Mt 5, 43-48

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 sits on the mountain slope. A crowd of people surround him. You are there too. Jesus speaks of love for enemies. He looks at everyone with love. Also for you. Look at him and listen to his words. Notice how his words move you.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the grace of love for yourself and your neighbors

 1. … love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, because God makes his sun rise on the bad and the good..

We are all one in the eyes of God. He surrounds everyone with his love and wants everyone to experience it without exception. Each of us is his beloved child.

a. It is easy to love those who love us. It is much harder to think well of those from whom we have experienced some harm. See those people who you feel sorry for, feel hurt by them. Accept your feelings. See what you have taught through these difficult situations, what these situations said valuable about you. Look again at these people, thank them for it. If you cannot do this, ask God  for the grace of thanksgiving. Remember that Christ lives in each of them as well as in you.

b. It is often the case that our greatest enemy is not our neighbor, but we ourselves. Our internal critic is our greatest enemy. Look at yourself with gentleness and love, as a best friend. Accept yourself with your weaknesses and strengths. Think what a good flows from your weaknesses, what a good do they show you? Thank God for yourself and for who you are.

2. Sit next to Jesus. Listen to his words about the love of your enemies. See how they resonate in you. Talk to Jesus about it.

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)