1. Introductory Prayer
I calm myself and I start to be aware of the presence of God in and around myself. I ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit to open myself to the word of God, to accept it and allow it to fulfill my mission in me, in order to become more and more what I am in Trinty. Then I ask God for this prayer, in my own words or with those that are here:
Dear God, the God of Love, we want to be one with You, with Your love. Give me the mercy to live with the awareness that I am your daughter, Your son.
2. Reading – Listening: The Gospel according to John 17:11-19
11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of[a] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[b] that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be.
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by[c] the truth; your word is the truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them, I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
3. Thoughts on the Gospel – What was Jesus mission on earth according to the Bible?
Just before his glorification, Jesus’ words tell the Church the purpose of following Him and his requirements. These are powerful words that mirror the glory of the one, who will give his life for the salvation of the world (Jn 10, 17-18). Being a student of Christ is a gift: He chose them. He revealed his mission to them and showed them the plan of salvation: the will of the Father, love between the Father and the Son, and told it to all mankind.
The disciples know. The behavior offers the possibility of not remaining in an empty and sterile conversion (1 Jn 4, 8-20). “To Remain” in the love of Jesus and keeping his “commandments” is above all, a noble gift of opportunity that frees people from the servile position, even to God, and places them in a new, full and mutual relationship with Him, which is so characteristic of friendship. “To Remain in His Love” is what Synoptics say the call of “the Kingdom of God,” a new era in history, which was initially wounded, but is boundlessly healed.
In Hebrew culture, observance of the commandments and rules is associated with precise fulfillment. In precision is the value that testifies to the efforts of the pious Jews to remain faithful to God. Their image of God and the attitude towards Him reflect their needs and abilities in time, even when they are in contact with neighboring cultures. In John’s Gospel, Jesus restores the meaning of “rules” and “commandments” with “love,” inviting us to “stay” in it.
When Jesus proclaims and shows the love of the Father in action, when he gives his life for the salvation of the world, He is the one who is renewing. Love is the one that reveals a quality that is not abstract, but a concrete and visible form of Christ who loves “to the end” and fully lives a life of love. Jesus repeatedly describes his relationship with the Father. His obedience to the Father shows us a new direction of obedience.
This is not the obedience of the servant, but the obedience of the son. The work that is done because of “the commandment of his Father” is not separate from the person of Jesus Christ but is connected with the One who knows and sincerely wants. What was Jesus mission on earth according to the Bible? Jesus teaches his disciples: let them bear in mind that “the Father loves me … as I have loved you” and that they do not remain on the level of the example, but rather to put the examples into action. The love of the Father is the source of love expressed by the Son, and the love for the Son is the source of love that the disciples gave to the world. In the end, there is a joy that is so precious as the joy of their Lord. Jesus is the one who educates, teaches and strengthens. The meaning of everything is particularly lit on Easter and Pentecost.
4. Meditation – thinking
About everything I have read and what has touched me, I am thinking now. I let my thoughts also touch my heart. Think:
- The human mind is from this world, but God is not. The devil is trying to separate us. How can I look at one of the relationships that matter to me with God’s eyes full of love?
- Jesus promised to stay with us. In every concrete situation. What situation should I give to him to endure with His help in craving, pain, waiting and seeing the Easter?
- We sometimes complain. But Jesus comes with a different Word, with the Word of Salvation. Which cross can I hand to him to carry it to the grave? I ask the Risen Christ to show me the Resurrection light beyond the grave.
5. Personal Prayer
In the next moments of silence, I talk about of this with Jesus. I tell him what I think, what I feel, what I want. I ask him for the grace that I need for … (make your conversation with God)
6. Contemplation – Quiet moment with God
Now I let silence to be in me. I am simply present in God, as He is quietly present in me.
Perhaps from this silence, I hear God’s speech, which invites me perhaps in thanksgiving and worship or to open myself and accept him in my path life and work, maybe He gives me the courage to continue searching for…
7. Action
When I walk into a personal relationship with God, he changes me, makes me more loving and encourages me to the concrete action, which is….. (write down your insights for concrete action)
8. Prayer at the end
Jesus, our Savior, you handed us over to our Father and asked to protect us from evil. Keep my trust, that you love me like I am, without the necessary proof. And to show me the way when I get lost in the world. Open my heart to Truth and Love.
9. Review of my prayer meditation or reflection
This is my view on what was happening in me at the time, I spent praying. In my reflection, I can help myself with the following questions:
- How was I feeling when I started praying?
- What happened during the prayer?
- What feelings and thoughts could I detect in myself?
- How did I feel at the revelations, which I had during my prayer?
- What did I learn about myself, about God, about his attitude towards me and others and me to him and others?
- How did I finish my prayer?
- What did I receive for my everyday life?
- In the end, I can write the lessons, findings, and insights. I can write also, where I had problems, they may have great value in learning about my relationship and myself with God. They can also help to find a more appropriate way of prayer for me.
- Then I thank the Holy Trinity. If I pray for my family or in the community, friends, I can share with them what I felt in this prayer. By prayer for one another, you can support yourself throughout the week.
Lectio Divina meditations are published and adapted with permission from the Jesuits home – ignacijevdom.si