Meeting Jesus through the Gospel
1. Sit quietly, recollect yourself. Concentrate on Jesus. Call on the Holy Spirit. Take your time. There is no rush and there is no fixed rule to follow. Be free in the Spirit.
2. Be aware that Jesus is with you. Use a mantra if you like, e.g. ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus ..’
3. Read the passage with Jesus who was there and in the Holy Spirit who inspired it.
4. Note the words and sentences that strike you.
5. Pray about these and ask the Lord to speak to you through his Spirit.
6. Keep a journal of the inspirations you are given for your life. Jesus is present to you and he is speaking to you.
7. If the passage is a ‘dramatic’ one try and live the passage in your imagination. Remember it is not just imagination because Jesus is present now with you. Put yourself in the scene. It is the Holy Spirit who makes Jesus real.
The 6th Sunday of Easter C
Acts 15:1-2. 22-29. Psalm 66:2-3.5-6.8. Rv.4.Apoc. 21:10-14. 22-23. John 14:23-29
The Holy Spirit and we have decided not to saddle you beyond the essentials.
Let the peoples praise you O God. Let all the people praise you.
The Lord God and the Lamb were the Temple
We shall come to him and make our home with him.
Jesus replied: Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him. 24 Anyone who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not my own: it is the word of the Father who sent me. 25 I have said these things to you while still with you; 26 but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you. 27 Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. 28 You heard me say: I am going away and shall return. If you loved me you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe.
will teach everything and remind you of all I have said to you
The home of God
Jesus told his disciples he was going away. They felt bewildered. How were they to manage after he had gone? He was their life. Everything centred on him. He was their strength. They were not afraid when he was there. None of the Jews were able to outwit him in an argument. He reduced them to silence with his answers. They felt at peace when he was there. But now he tells them, he is going away. They feel lost, afraid and heading for a life of emptiness. But Jesus tells them, “Let not your hearts be troubled or afraid” In fact he says “If you loved me you would have been glad to know I am going”. He is going to his Father and he is going to come back to them and not only to them but to all who love him. It will be in a new way.
“God so loved the world that he sent his only Son” (John 3:16). Now Jesus promises that both the Father and he will come and live in each of his disciples. It seems too good to be true. God, the Creator who lives in unapproachable light will come and live in the heart of each of Jesus’ disciples. But it is true. There are however conditions for this to be fulfilled. We must love Jesus and accept him into our lives. We do this by keeping his commandments. He has given us ‘a new commandment’ – to love one another as he loves us and he has given in the Gospel many examples of how to do this. Our heartfelt love for Jesus overflows into action by our always doing what pleases him. So the Father loves us too and both he and Jesus come and live in our hearts. Our bodies become the dwelling place of God. This promise is not only for mystics and saints but for each and everyone who loves Jesus. It is for you.
How can I keep his word? I am weak and sinful. The Father will send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit. After Jesus has gone away physically the Holy Spirit will come and he will be with us forever. He will teach us everything and remind us of all that Jesus has taught. He will be our strength and the fruits of his indwelling will be clear for all to see; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, humility and purity of heart. Furthermore he will give the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage, faith and respect for God.
We have a treasure in our hands. We need to experience it. Do you take time daily to sit quietly and open yourself consciously to God dwelling in your heart? Have your family and neighbours ever mentioned that ‘there is something about you’? If not, ask yourself, ‘Do I enjoy the fellowship of God, Father, Son and Spirit?’
Father grant me the grace to experience the fruits of your indwelling.
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