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: Mary with Joseph and their child Jesus come to Jerusalem to the temple to consecrate their child to God. In the temple are Simeon and the prophetess Anna. Simeon takes Jesus in his arms and says: my eyes have seen your salvation.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: that I would like to seek and find God in myself, my relatives and my everyday life

1. Consecration.

Mary and Joseph keep the provisions of the law, according to which the mother was obliged to consecrate the firstborn son to God in the temple and to make the sacrifice (based on: ks. Stanisław Ormanty TChr, Żywe jest bowiem słowo, Boże, skuteczne … Komentarze biblijne do czytań na rok „b” część I, p. 142-155) due: a lamb or a pair of turtledoves, if the parents were poor. It was a symbolic gesture of dedication to God, what is the most precious and beautiful for parents, it is a gesture of fidelity to God. Mary fulfills this duty, and together with Joseph they complete what is prescribed by the law in force. The parents of Jesus seem to be aware that God has a special plan for their child that they may find difficult to accept and understand.

a) Consider how you listen to the needs and desires of your child, loved ones and your own, through which God can speak. How do you give your child and others freedom to implement their plans? How do you help your loved ones to discern life decisions, i.e. to seek and find greater good? And finally, how do you discern your path to complete your life in God?

b) The word to consecrate means to sacrifice, to give a gift. We can give our prayers, we can also give someone help, a smile, a good word, our time in our everyday lives…

What and to whom have you given today?

2. Patience

Simeon had a keen desire to await the promised Messiah. The holy spirit revealed to him that he would not die until he saw the Son of God. Simeon waited patiently for many years and lived to see his promise. He recognized Jesus in the Child brought by Mary and Joseph. He is a model of patience for us.

I think that we may have often lack patience in our daily life. We would like to have something quickly, to quickly tell someone something, to quickly see the fruits of prayer. We have the right to want it, but we also have to learn patience and flexibility that not everything has to be now and, in the way, we want it.

What is your patience with yourself, others, God?

3. For my eyes have seen your salvation

These words were spoken by Simeon after he recognized the Messiah in the little Child brought by Mary and Joseph.

God lives in every person, because everyone is created by him. So, God is also in you. He knew you before you were conceived. Look at yourself this way and think about how it changes the way you think about 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)

As I begin, I become aware of the Lord present with me, looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

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: Mary with baby Jesus and Joseph come to the Temple. According to the law of Moses, they have to consecrate the firstborn son to God. There is Simeon, who is waiting for the Son of God, to whom the Holy Spirit has promised not to die until he sees the Messiah.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for trusting God and experiencing his love

1. Holy Family.

The Holy Family faces various difficulties from the very beginning: the annunciation is a great surprise, difficult to accept for Mary and Joseph, her husband, who learns that his wife is pregnant and that he is not the father of the child; the moment of childbirth – they cannot find a place where Mary could give birth to a child; they have to run away to another country, to protect the child’s life. There are many other difficult moments, up to the death of Jesus on the cross, from a human point of view, a huge tragedy in the lives of each parent. It is likely that the Holy Family also experienced joyful events and had a pleasant time. Mary with Joseph, all these difficult and pleasant moments, eperienced with God, trusting him completely. This is their holiness. See how God guided them in their daily lives.

2. Simeon.

He is a righteous and just man. The Holy Spirit promised him not die until he saw the Messiah. Simeon had his promise fulfilled. He recognized Jesus in the child brought by Mary and Joseph. It didn’t have to be easy, Jesus probably looked similar to the other children. Notice Simeon’s patience in waiting for the Messiah, and the deep faith and awareness that made him possible to recognize Jesus.

3. The passing year …

I invite you to reflect on the ending year 2020:

a. Remind yourself the good moments of the ending year, good relationships, any good you have experienced. God was present in all of them. He gave all that good to you because he loves you. Thanks God for all good you have received.

b. Remind yourself difficult events, difficult relationships. Look at them from today’s perspective: how did you experience them, what good came out of them, what did you learn. In these difficult times, God was with you. Thanks God for them.

c.Look at the whole year: how has God guided you through this year? How did you take care of living your daily life with him and your relationship with him? What was your awareness of finding God in the other person, in yourself?

d.Think about one thing you want to improve in yourself, in experiencing your everyday life in order to live more fully 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)

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 the magnificent temple, adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God. Imagine how the temple looks inside and outside. Also, see the people gathered there, who admire its beauty. Maybe you are also among them.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: the desire to seek and find what brings me closer to God and gives me his joy

1. (…) the temple … was adorned with costly stones (…). All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone that will be thrown down.

a) Sometimes in our life we admire what is external and nourishes our eyes, that is, we stop at the stones of today’s gospel. This applies to all areas of our life: at home we fight for order, at work for praise and finances, in our spiritual life we grasp what gives strong emotional experiences, we like the great settings of the Holy Mass. In the context of the upcoming Christmas we will strive for beautiful home decor, tasty dishes, maybe gifts. Of course, all this is also good and necessary, but on one condition that it leads us to the depths, to greater union in God. If it doesn’t, we’ll be crushed like a temple. What do you care for in your life? With what do you fill the temple that you are, that is also your home, family?

b). In our interior, sometimes various walls must collapse, a stone must fall from a stone so that we can get closer and closer to a true image of God.

The above-mentioned collapses and façades may be difficult to accept and may not be understood at first. Only in retrospect do we begin to see the purposefulness of what happened in us. We begin to see how our interior is cleansed and the image of God that we carry within us is cleansed. Perhaps the most cleansing process for us is simply embracing and accepting life, the reality we experience every day.

  2.See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, “I am he”, and “The time has come.” Do not follow them!

In a commentary on today’s passage in the Holy Scriptures of St.Paul, we read: The great trap that threatens believers is believing false predictions about the end of the world. Christians in general should avoid all speculation on these topics. They should take a similar position in the face of emerging wars and natural disasters. They have always tormented humanity and their appearance cannot be treated as a sign that the end of the world is near.

So often we hear various prophecies about the end of the world, about the three days of darkness. We grapple with this by repeatedly coming into fear, which usually does not lead us to a relationship with God based on trust, love. Rather, we become children who fear the father’s punishment. God wants happiness for us. He wants us to have deep joy. What are you feeding in your life? Who and what are you listening to?

3. … do not be terrified.

Jesus is saying to you: do not be terrified! What are these words doing in you? What will you do to make each Advent day a joyful anticipation of the coming of the Lord who constantly comes to you at every moment?  

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)

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 the person (maybe you are her?), who came from work at home and prepares a meal, covers the table.

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the desire to be disposable in life, including in relation to God

1. Availability

Note that at the center of today’s pericope is a servant, not a host with his harsh, egoistic reference to him, like a ruthless superior (cf. Żywe bowiem jest Słowo Boże, skuteczne… Komentarze biblijne do czytań na rok „C”, S. Ormanty SChr, Poznań, 505). This does not change the fact that the servant after his work has to do various tasks at home, as something that is inscribed in the canon of the servant. In the following, it shows us the naturalness of being available to God, from whom we receive everything, so we should respond to His Love, serve Him, worship and praise Him. What does it mean for you to be available in relation to God?

See your living space, where it is difficult for you to be available and be grateful, and space in which you can be available and grateful. This allows you to accept reality and thus change.

2. Unprofitable servants.

Who is the unprofitable servant? In this pericope we read, that the unprofitable servant is one, who has done what he was obliged to do. Maybe unprofitable is one, who does his duties only in obedience and only to the extent that he was commissioned? Maybe one, who does the job correctly, but does not want to make any decisions, and does not want to be responsible for what he does – neither in private life nor in professional life?Who then can be a profitable servant? Maybe one, who expects, trusts and misses his Lord and asks the Lord the question: what can I do for you? Maybe it is the one, who is guided by love in his life? Maybe a profitable servant is one who feels like a son / daughter of God and feels responsible for what is happening in his/ her life?What kind of servant are you in your everyday life, in the place where you live and work? What can you do to become more and more a profitable servant?

3.The host.

Although the host is not the central figure in today’s gospel, it sounds the way he treats his servant. Probably a tired servant returning from work is hired by the farmer to do his homework. What may this servant need after work? Maybe a moment of rest, maybe a moment of silence, maybe some dinner? Let’s look at your home, your family. How do you read the needs of relatives returning from work or school? What opportunities do you give them to meet their needs? See also, do you recognize your needs and do you have the courage to talk about them?

4. Pilgrim’s Journey, Ignatius of Loyola, p. 67-68- to your reflection:

“After the above – mentioned temptation, he began to feel notable changes in his soul. Sometimes he was so dejected that he found no enjoyment in the prayers he recited, not even in attending Mass, or in any other form of prayer. Sometimes the exact opposite happened to him, and so suddenly that he stripped away all sadness and desolation, just as one strips a cloak from one’s shoulders. He was astonished as these changes, which he had never before experienced, and said to himself:” What kind of a new life is this that we are now beginning?”…”

Ignatius lived in mindfulness of what was happening in his surroundings and of what he felt in himself. Being in discomfort did not close him to the new one that could come. Among other things, this attitude manifested his availability for Life, 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)