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J 1,47-51

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: imagine a fig tree under which Nathanael stands, perhaps reading the Word of the Lord (the Israelites were reading the scriptures under the fig trees) and thinking that it is invisible. Jesus is not far away, watching and seeing Nathanael.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the purity of my motivations

 

1. There is no duplicity in him.

Jesus greets Nathanael with beautiful words: this is a true Israelite in whom there is no duplicity. So, Nathanael does not use tricks or deceptions in his life, in relationships, to deceive someone, or, looking from the other side in an unfair way some benefits for himself. So, what is he guided by? In the broadest terms, it is probably the greater good.What are you guided by in your actions? What are your motivations? How do you ensure that the one  – the greater good stands out among the many motivations?

2. How do you know me? …Before … I saw you …

Jesus saw Nathanael before Philip called him, as he stood under the fig tree and did not expect anyone to see him. Nathanael was surprised, amazed that Jesus had known him well before the described meeting.

What does it do in you, make you aware that Jesus knows you from the very beginning of your existence and knows well what you think, feel, what is happening inside you and that you are visible to him at every place and time?

3. Calling.

Jesus calls Nathaneal as his disciple. The word calling may cause us some confusion, anxiety, questions: what is my vocation, is it in accordance with God’s will? There are also greater callings: to life in marriage, priesthood, … and the smaller, equally important ones, which concern our everyday life, work and life in the place where we are. To be someone of calling is to do something passionately, in accordance with your desires and with the greater glory of God. It does not mean that we will not experience difficulties, that there will be no moments of doubt and discouragement, but they will not prevent us from feeling happy in what we do.Discover your desires … discover your daily callings in your relationships, at home, at work …

 

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)

J 19,25-27

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: See Golgotha, the place where Jesus died. Jesus is hanging on the cross, and next to him there are two more crosses to which the criminals are nailed. Near the dying Jesus stand: John, four women, one of them is Mary.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: that I become more attentive to the needs of others and myself

 

  1. Near the cross of Jesus stood …

To stand next to someone means to want to give your support, help. This attitude is the result of love for the other person whom we want to accompany in every moment of life, at the good time and the difficult. Being with someone to the end requires us to be faithful, repeatedly shifting our attention from ourselves to another person. In a difficult situation, we also need courage to look at the suffering of our loved ones. To stand by someone means to be with someone, to be present at that moment with that person not only physically but also emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Sometimes you can be closer to someone geographically separated from you than someone who lives with you in the same house. In the above context, it may seem that we should be closest to ourselves, but we often run away from ourselves. How are you with your loved ones, how do you stand by them? How close are you to yourself? What kind of support do you give to others and yourself?

 

  1. When Jesus saw his motherthere, and the disciple whom he loved…

Notice that, when Jesus was dying, he saw those who were with him. Despite his suffering and pain, he saw those who wanted to be with him. It can be said that Jesus sees every human being all the time, cares for each of us all the time: when we have a pleasant time, when we are faced with difficulties and when we sin. It is important that we have a desire to live with Jesus, to include him in our everyday life. It means we desire to seek what will bring more God’s glory in our lives and more goods.Think about your view of others? How do you experience seeing yourself through others? How do you look at yourself?

 

3.Woman, here is your son (…) Here is your mother.

When Jesus is dying, he leaves his testament: he tells Mary to see his beloved disciple as her son, and he tells the disciple to see his mother in Mary. He tells each of us that Mary is our mother. Going further, it means that Jesus is our brother and he wants each of us to feel looked after by him and Mary. Look at your relationship with Mary and Jesus: who are they to you, how do you feel in this relationship?

 

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)

 

J 17,1-11a

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 is staying with disciples around Jerusalem. After a long teaching, Jesus begins to pray to God the Father. Listen to this prayer, be present in this scene.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the desire to know God

  1. … this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Jesus explains that eternal life consists in knowing God and Jesus Christ. It is exploring the mystery that we will fully know after death. In life, we meet another person, when we are curious about him, when we enter into a close relationship in which we accept others and we feel accepted, liked, loved. The curiosity of the other person helps to accept his otherness, helps to understand him, allow him for his autonomy. The same happens, when someone wants to know us and accept us with everything we have: with what is our resource and what is our weakness. It depends on us how much we let others meet us. It is a little different in relation to God, because we are still in process of knowing him, but he already knows each of us, knows everything about us and loves us. What is your curiosity about God, another man? How do you feel in your relationship with God knowing that he knows you and loves you so much? What is your way to know God and another person? What is your openness so that others can know you (maybe something is blocking you from openness, name it)? And finally, a very important question, from which you may want to start the topic of knowing: what is your curiosity about yourself?

  1. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.

Jesus glorified his Father by doing what the Father gave him. As if we were to refer this sentence to ourselves, we can say that we show glory to God by doing what he gives us. What does he give?

He gives us our life, which consists of our duties, our everyday life, relationships with other people. How we experience our everyday lives depends on us. Will we look for what is life-giving or will we revolve around our wounds, harms, fears? It is not about denying what is difficult, and it doesn’t about looking for threats and being stuck in your suffering. It receives openness, creativity, cuteness, curiosity, deprives us of life-giving strength. And God wants our happiness.

We give praise to God also by thanking him for what we have received. Look at your day and see what goods you got from God today. He comes in simple things, such as the fact that you can breathe, in the smile of another person, in blooming flowers …

  1. I am not asking on behalf of the word, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.

The whole fragment of the mediated pericope is the prayer of Jesus. In this prayer Jesus intercedes for his disciples: I am asking in their behalf; Jesus also prays for you. Read this sentence by inserting your name: I am asking in (put your name here) behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the word, but on behalf of (put your name here) whom you gave me.

What do you feel, what this prayer of Jesus awakens in you?

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)

 

J 16, 5-11

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 stays with his disciples in the Upper Room all the time and prepares them for his departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. See the Upper Room, look at Jesus and the disciples. Feel the atmosphere of this place, those moments of farewell to Jesus. Be in the upper room with the disciples and Jesus.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: that I would be able to accept the reality in which God comes to me

  1. Purifying.

Jesus must go away so that the Holy Spirit can come to judge the world. This judgment does not consist in condemning the world, but in purifying it from sin, so that the world will become capable of more and more fruitfulness. Purifying itself is not an easy and painless process, but it leads to the reconciliation of the world.

Each of us is subjected to such a process of purification, so that integration will take place in us through the understanding and acceptance of our life story, the space of feelings and desires. The process of purification allows us to live in God’s fuller joy, to be in peace with ourselves, to accept another person with love. St. Augustine preyed: Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know You. Therefore, knowing yourself leads to a more complete knowledge of God.

Look inside yourself: what areas of yours need purification, what acceptance do you have for it? Let this process be, it will help you live in greater joy in God.

2. Sadness and consolation.

Once again Jesus talks about his leaving and the coming of the Advocate. Disciples seem to be more focused on the departure of their Teacher. They feel sad even though Jesus promises them the Holy Spirit, whose coming will be useful for them. Understanding and accepting reality fully, with what they lose and what they gain is difficult. Perseverance may be easier than looking for hope and seeing joy. Perhaps life in some despair and sadness justifies stagnation, doing nothing, not changing. Searching for what is good and hope forces us to do something, detach ourselves from our old thinking, beliefs and patterns.Take this to yourself, your life and see what is born in you.

3. … none of you asks me, “Where are you going?”

I invite you to ask yourself this question: where am I going? What is my goal, what gives me meaning in my life, what makes me want to get up and live the day?

 

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)

 

J 14, 27-31a

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 is with his disciples. See the place where they are staying: how it looks, notice how and where Jesus and his disciples are in this room

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the experience of peace, which is the result of a living relationship with Christ

1.Loss and new.

Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure. He must go away because he loves his Father and fulfills his will to the end. However, he promises he come to them, which may concern his coming after the Resurrection. We also know from an earlier verse (cf. J14,26) that he will send them the Holy Spirit – the Helper, he also says that they shouldn’t let their hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid (cf. J 14, 27b). So, disciples probably don’t understand it, they don’t yet know that Jesus’ leaving does not only mean loss, but is associated with an acquisition, a gift of something new.

Try as much as you can be with disciples: what’s going on inside them, what’s worrying, what does them give hope?

In the present time, we can also feel anxiety, uncertainty, fearing for the future, we can experience various losses (existential, related to human relations, material, or our patterns falling apart, or even our values). The loss creates an empty space that waits to be filled. It depends on us what will be created in this place.

2.Peace.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Peace is one of the gifts of the resurrected Jesus. It does not mean an external peace, no conflicts or wars. Rather, it means associated with happiness, unity, fullness, and a sense of inner, deep security resulting from being rooted in Christ. Peace is sharing my gift of faith, life and joy as a result of my relationship with God. This peace is especially needed by the poor, who need contact that will bring them hope and joy. Maybe you are poor many times, you need material support, conversation, the presence of another person.Consider what peace in the context of the above reflection do you give to others? How do you accept peace from others? How do you look for peace and where do you find it? What does Christ’s presence bring to your life, what gifts do you receive from him?

3. Exercise.

Read the following fragment of the pericope and put your name next to the word << you >>:

Peace I leave with you+ your name; my peace I give to you + your name. Not as the world gives do I give it to you + your name. Do not let your +your name hearts be troubled or afraid.What’s going on in you, what do you feel reading so? Talk to Jesus about this.

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)

 

J 10,22-30

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: Jerusalem during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. It is winter time, the air temperature can oscillate around 10 degrees C. During this time Jesus is there. He walks around the temple and talks to Jews.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: desire for closeness with Jesus 

 

 1.  My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.

Jesus knows his sheep, he knows you and me. We get to know someone by listening. Jesus, therefore, listens to you: what you say, what you feel, what you experience. He listens to what you may not say verbally, but you communicate with your behavior. It’s a very intimate relationship. Also, sheep’s relationship with Jesus is based on listening. Sheep are obedient to Jesus. Obedience can be interpreted as clinging to the message heard what Jesus says. Therefore, the relationship with him is based on listening, which creates mutual trust, not fear of punishment that I did not do something, that I was not good enough. It is a relationship of love, acceptance. Jesus knows you, listens to you. What do these words cause (what feelings and thoughts) in you?

How do you listen to Jesus? What is your motivation to follow him?

 2.    I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 

Jesus gives us eternal life, from the earlier pericope we also know that he gives life abundantly for us. So, we are invited to feast, to experience joy and experience the fullness of life. We can experience life only now, at this moment. Worrying about tomorrow or thinking about the past deprives us of the possibility of being here and now. Only now is the moment you can taste. The apple eaten leaves a memory, the apple you want to eat raises expectations for taste. You can taste, smell, touch the apple only when you are eating it.

How do you experience your life here and now?

Jesus also gives us security: nobody and nothing can tear us away from him. How do these words resonate in you?

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)

J 6,30-35

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: Capernaum, a settlement of several thousand inhabitants on the Sea of Galilee. Residents engaged in fishing, agriculture and trade. So, you can see boats, fishing nets, trade stands, somewhere in the distance people working in the field. People from Tiberias come to this town to meet Jesus.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for my eyes open more to see signs (goods) I receive from Jesus

1.What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you?

Perhaps it is worth asking the question: did Jesus give signs that he was the Son of God, or did something happen in people that they could not see them?However, it seems natural to ask for signs. We need confirmation that we are loved, accepted, we need to feel that someone cares for us. It builds relationship and trust. The difficulty is that we want to receive this confirmation on our terms, which does not necessarily coincide with the possibilities and skills of showing it by the other person. So, maybe you need to broaden your perception, open your eyes more, become more sensitive to signs of intimacy of others. Maybe you need to focus on what you get and but not what you would like to receive from loved ones.Think about what signs you see from God who is alive, present all the time and through which he communicates with you, shows you his love?

2. Spiritual food.

Jesus speaks of himself as the Bread of Life, which everyone can enjoy. What is your spiritual food in your everyday life, what gives you strength to live (maybe some concrete prayer, maybe silence, maybe a conversation, maybe some book or walk …), especially during this pandemic?

3. Encounter.

Imagine that Jesus meets you and says: I am the bread of life. How do you accept these words, how do it resonate with you?

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)

 

J 3,7-15

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: Nicodemus meets Jesus at night. The meeting place can be a garden.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the desire to meet Jesus

  1. You must be born from above.

This phrase is translated in two ways: “to be born again” or “to be born from above”. The first understanding underlines the radical transformation of life resulting from trust in Jesus, and the second means that spiritual life is a gift from God, not something you can earn (see New Testament for Moderators, Vocatio, page 226, footnotes).

Both understandings are consistent with each other. I accept my life as a gift because I trust Jesus and my trust and faith change my life. This change of life does not mean that you change your husband, wife, order or quit your job. Rather, it is a change in your way of thinking, perception of the world, your duties, your everyday life, other people and yourself. Quarantine time associated with a coronavirus pandemic can help verify your life, your values and priorities. You can experience the feeling of loss and pain of being born again. You may feel it is difficult to cross your comfort zone, but the birth ends with joy from a new life.What is in your life born again?

  1. … that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

God wants us to experience his love and eternal life now. Eternal life is knowing God and his mercy.

Pope Francis in Bull Misericordiae Vultus writes:

<<Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his brothers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.>>

How do these words resonate in you? How do you experience God’s love and eternal life in the context of the above words?

3.Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Jesus comes to you, not to condemn you, but to give you salvation, to save you. Jesus is coming … meet him 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)

 

J 13,21-33. 36-38

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: Last supper: see Jesus and his disciples during a meal. Imagine a table, what is on it, how Jesus sits and the disciples, maybe they are in reclining positions. Listen to their conversation.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the experience of Jesus’ love and presence  

  1. Reality.

a) In the Catholic Youth Bible, we read that Jesus was troubled in spirit.

Get into the atmosphere of this reality of Jesus.

b) Disciples are embarrassed, they do not understand Jesus’ words, maybe they are afraid of Jesus’ departure.

Jesus is guided by love in his actions, but love is demanding, not necessarily associated with only pleasant feelings. Disciples also do not know what the effect of their teacher’s departure will be. They are not able to comprehend at this moment, that the loss here is related to salvation, resurrection, and receiving the Holy Spirit, which is what allows them to live their lives more fully and experience the presence and love of Jesus even more. How much easier it would be for them to accept what happens if they knew what the future brings them. How you find yourself in it, how can you relate it to your life? Find examples when you thought that nothing good would happen to you, that you would not recover from the loss you experienced, but later it turned out and the sun was shining again and that a new good was created.During a pandemic, you may also feel that it won’t be as good as it was. Remember that Jesus is with you. You don’t know what might surprise you, or maybe you will surprise him with something? 

2. … the disciple whom Jesus loved (…) leaned on the chest of Jesus …

You are the disciple whom Jesus loves. Meet him as you need, 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)

J 8,21-30

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: Imagine a place where Jesus meets Jews or where you meet him: maybe it’s a square in the city, a park, your house …

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the experience of Jesus’ presence and trust in him

  1. Misunderstanding.

Jesus encounters misunderstanding of people. He has been with them for a long time, and yet they ask the question “Who are you?”. I would like you to first look at the loneliness that Jesus experiences. Note that he does not give in to despair, does not ask why, he only warns against unbelief, which does not exclude difficult feelings. How could Jesus feel in this situation? What gave him strength? Today, many people, maybe you too, experience loneliness and misunderstanding. Time of epidemic, quarantine is a difficult time. We may not understand the new reality. What gives you strength and what helps you taste life?

  1. I am.

It is worth considering if we behave like Pharisees and Jews from this Gospel. Jesus says << I am >>, he does not add that only in the Church, only in the confessional or only in Eucharistic communion … He is and that is the message for today. How do you experience his presence and intimacy today during the coronavirus pandemic? How does this new reality, maybe a new kind of encounter with Jesus change you, your relationship with others and with him?

  1.  Meeting.

Jesus comes to you, your home and says: I am. Meet him the way you want, as you can …

4. I always do what pleases him.- let this icon be a quote from Pope Francis, Christus vivit point 12

One of Jesus’ parables (cf. Lk 15:11-32) relates that a “younger” son wanted to leave his father’s home for a distant land (cf. vv. 12-13). Yet his thoughts of independence turned into dissolution and excess (cf. v. 13), and he came to experience the bitterness of loneliness and poverty (cf. vv. 14-16). Nonetheless, he found the strength to make a new start (cf. vv. 17-19) and determined to get up and return home (cf. v. 20). Young hearts are naturally ready to change, to turn back, get up and learn from life. How could anyone fail to support that son in this new resolution? Yet his older brother already had a heart grown old; he let himself be possessed by greed, selfishness and envy (Lk 15:28-30). Jesus praises the young sinner who returned to the right path over the brother who considered himself faithful, yet lacked the spirit of love and mercy.

 

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)