~ 20 ~

THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL ~
“This is my body which is given for you.”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Luke 22:7-30
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.) This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹

Jesus says to Peter and John: “Go and prepare the Passover for us …” All is foreseen, all is carefully prepared for the Eucharist … Nothing happens by chance … I watch Peter and John as they go into the city, as they make the preparations for the meal … I prepare with them for what is about to happen.

Now it is the hour of Jesus … I am there as evening falls. I see the Upper Room, I see the table, the dishes, the wine, the lamb … I gather with the disciples. Our hearts sense that some great mystery is about to take place …

“I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you …” These words open for me the depths of Jesus’ heart. I linger here in my prayer, I sense the great desire in Jesus to give the gift of his Eucharistic Body and Blood to his disciples, to me … I speak to him of my desire …

I am there, I watch each detail, each gesture, with profound reverence. I see Jesus take the bread … break it … give it to his disciples, to me … I hear the words: “This is my body …” I realize what this gift has meant, does mean, in my life … I speak to the Lord …

He takes the cup: “This cup … is the new covenant in my blood …” I sense the magnitude of the gift that is given: the gift of his Body and Blood, his whole being, to the Church, to me … My heart speaks to him …

Humanity struggles to grasp and accept the gift … One will betray him. A dispute arises regarding who is the greatest among them … And Love is with them, as one who gives himself to them: “For which is the greater, one who sits at table, or one who serves? But I am among you as one who serves.”

I become quiet, my soul is stilled. My heart turns toward the Lord, aware of the gift of his Presence, his Body, his Blood, simply gazing, simply receiving, silently giving my own heart. Now, heart speaks to heart, wordlessly, deeply …

“O, you are my God, for you my soul is thirsting …”

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:

Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening
to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional.  I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1 Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 21 ~

NOT MY WILL BUT YOUR WILL ~
“My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Matthew 26:36-46
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.)  This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher,O.M.V¹

I accompany Jesus as now he enters his time of sorrow, of burden, the time of the cross … I ask him to show me, through his cross, the meaning of my own sorrows and burdens …

I join Jesus and the Eleven as they walk alongside the city walls toward the Garden of Gethsemane … It is night … I hear the quiet sounds of the night, I feel the heaviness in the hearts of the disciples. My heart too knows times of heaviness and foreboding …

“My soul is sorrowful even to death …” With great reverence, I ponder the sorrow of Jesus, a deep sorrow that nearly overwhelms his life itself … What stirs in his heart? In my heart? I speak to him of my own sorrow …

Now I see Jesus go a little farther into the Garden … and he is alone. The three near him sleep. Humanly, he is utterly alone, in his time of need. My heart too knows what it means to feel alone … I speak to him …

His energy fails him … He falls on his face upon the earth, and a cry rises with anguish from his heart, to the Father: “If it is possible, let this cup pass from me …” There is in Jesus a deep, deep desire to be freed of the burden he carries, the burden that lies ahead: “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me…” How often I too have prayed that prayer: let this cup pass … the cup of physical weakness and pain, of responsibility, of struggles in relationships … I am there with Jesus, prostrate on the earth …

“Yet, not as I will, but as you will.” Two wills: “as I will,” “as you will.” And, though it costs his humanity so much, Jesus bows his will to that of the Father … I pray with him, I ask the courage to accept, like Jesus, the Father’s will in my life …

He comes, seeking the companionship and support of those close to him … and they sleep … But now I do not sleep … I speak to him …

I watch as, a second time, Jesus repeats his acceptance of the Father’s will: “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” And again, a third time … and still he is alone …

“Get up, let us go. Look, my betrayer is at hand.” His prayer has strengthened him, he is ready to face the cross … I pray for that same strength …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:
Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening
to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional.  I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:
• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1 Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 22 ~

JESUS GIVES HIS LIFE ~
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Luke 23:26-49
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.)  This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹ 

The cross … in Jesus’ life … and in mine. Now I will accompany Jesus in his supreme moment of self-giving. I ask him for the courage to carry my own cross, to be faithful “to the end,” like him.

I join the crowd, pushing through the narrow streets. I see the bustle, the agitation; I hear the clamor, the cries, as we climb toward Golgotha. I see Jesus, scourged, crowned with thorns, condemned, rejected, mocked … carrying the cross, step by step, along the way …

I gaze at him, slowly, with great attentiveness of heart … The image of Jesus carrying his cross penetrates my soul … ”If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk 9:23). His way of the cross is mine as well …

Simon assists him … What does this moment mean for Jesus? For Simon? The women weep for him. Even now, Jesus is not absorbed by his own pain, but continues to be alive to the need of others: “Do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves …”

He is crucified. … I watch the painful stripping; I see the nailing of his hands and feet, the raising of the cross, I hear his tormented breathing … I think of the times when I have felt – or now feel – crucified in some way, stripped of what is dear to me, nailed helplessly in situations of pain … when each day brings its burden, its pain … And I know that I am not alone …

“They will look upon him whom they have pierced” (Jn 19:37). I do this now. I look upon the crucified Lord … and he looks at me. We speak …

“Father, forgive them …” His first thought, his first word on the cross. I linger here, I ponder the forgiveness in the heart of Jesus. I ask for this forgiveness, I ask that forgiveness be my first thought as well …

He is mocked … but one heart turns to him in faith: “Jesus, remember me …” I unite my voice, too, with this prayer …” Today you will be with me …”

Darkness falls, the curtain in the Temple is torn, Jesus cries out with a loud voice: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” He gives up his life … faithful to the end. He has given all, now, for me. I thank him … I speak with him of the many “deaths” in my life, the losses, the letting go …

Now, in silence and stillness of heart, I contemplate the one who loved me so much that he gave his life for me …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:
Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening
to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional. I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1 Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For

~ 23 ~

THE WOMAN IN TEARS ~
“Mary … Rabboni!”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read John 20:1, 11-18
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.) This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹

I watch Mary Magdalene come to the tomb in the early morning. She sees that the stone has been taken from the entrance … She does not look in, runs to find Simon and John, and returns after they leave the tomb (vv.1-10).

Now she stands alone outside the tomb. She stands, unable to leave, afraid to look into the darkness of the tomb. Her tears fall … yet still she remains there. I watch with reverence … I seek to understand those tears … I sense that she seems frozen in her sorrow …

I marvel now at her courage: “As she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.” She faces her pain, her fear: she looks into the darkness of the tomb … and finds that it is not as empty as she feared. A process begins that leads her from her tears to the Lord …

The angels ask: “Woman, why are you weeping?” I hear this question directed to my heart as well: Why are you weeping? Why is your heart heavy as you live day by day?

She sees the “gardener,” not recognizing Jesus who is already there with her, even as her tears fall … “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” I answer this question, speaking to the Lord from my heart …

“Jesus said to her ‘Mary.’” Simply her name … I hear him pronounce my name … That one word says everything to me, as it does to Mary …

“Rabboni!” One word … which says everything. She knows now that he is alive, and will live forever, that he is with her, that his love will never leave her, that he calls her by name … She is no longer the woman in tears … I speak now to the Lord. I respond from my heart to his greeting …

The encounter becomes mission: “Go to my brethren and say to them …” “Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples: ‘I have seen the Lord.’” I feel the joy, the delight, the energy, with which she proclaims the risen Lord.

“I have seen the Lord.” I speak with Mary Magdalene, I speak now with Jesus, and ask that this too be the central reality of my life, and my message to the world …

Now I sit with Mary. I gaze upon her face, and see there her radiant joy. I see the deep happiness of knowing herself loved, loved infinitely, loved forever … My heart
now speaks …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:
Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening
to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional. I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1 Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 24 ~

A JOURNEY INTO HOPE ~
“Did not our hearts burn within us
while he talked to us on the road?”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read Luke 24:13-35
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.)  This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹ 

I am there, walking with the two disciples. I feel the heaviness of their hearts: “We had hoped …” The energy of the beginnings is past, the time of trial and outward failure has come. They have seen Good Friday … and, now, the tomb … is empty, lifeless.

I walk with them along this country road … I listen to them talk. I see the sadness on their faces. I, too, have known this sadness of a disciple, when all seems to go wrong, when I cannot make sense of what God is doing …

Suddenly, Another is with us. He says little; he simply invites us to share the burdens of our hearts: “What is this conversation …?” “What things?” They pour out their story of a hope that is now passed, of their struggle …

I speak of my own hopes and disappointments … And he listens …

“O foolish men and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” He knows that they – and I – are not “hard” of heart, but only “slow” of heart. Too much has happened, too quickly, and they cannot grasp it in faith, cannot understand it.
They falter …

The Listener now speaks to their hearts. He “opens” to them the Scriptures and, slowly, they begin to understand … ”Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” “These things” – not the end of hope, but rather the necessary path toward glory …

The “slow” heart becomes a heart on fire: “Did not our hearts burn within us … while he opened to us the Scriptures?” I beg the divine Pilgrim, walking with me through life, for this same burning heart …

“Stay with us …” With them, I make this prayer from my heart to the Lord: Stay with me, Lord Jesus! “So he went in to stay with them …”

We share the meal, the breaking of the bread. And our eyes are opened. Faith flames up, renewed within us. Discouragement is transformed into the surety that the risen Lord is always with me, today, every day, of my life.

Now everything changes for them, for me. They return, with energy, to the heart of the community. And they bear witness to the risen Lord in the midst of others: “They told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

Now I am alone with the Lord. My heart speaks freely to him …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:
Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening
to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional. I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1 Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).

~ 25 ~

DO YOU LOVE ME? ~
“They knew it was the Lord.”

I prepare my heart for prayer
As I begin, I take a moment to become aware of the Lord present to me,
looking upon me with love, desiring to speak to my heart.

Prayerfully, I read John 21:1-19
After prayerfully reading, I ask for a grace I desire in this time of prayer.

Using my reasoning:

• Think about what is happening in the scene; what are the action words?
• Who are the people in the scene? What is the place? What things are described?
• What words catch my attention? What does this mean to me?

Using my imagination:

• Imagining myself in the scene – am I an observer or participant? To whom am I drawn?
• Using all of my senses – what do I see? What do I hear? What do I feel, smell or taste?

Reflect on what God is saying to my heart:

• As I reflect, I use my spiritual senses to acknowledge what is transpiring in my heart – my thoughts, feelings and desires. (Acknowledge means to see, to notice, to become aware of, to name.) This is important to do, as my thoughts, feelings and desires shape my actions.

• I look for the truth the Lord is communicating to me. I ask Jesus to give me his mind and his thoughts to see with the eyes of his heart what he wants to reveal to me today. How is Jesus calling me to apply this truth to my life?

Guided Reflection
Quoted from “An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer,”
by Father Timothy M Gallagher, O.M.V¹ 

I see the lake, the shore, the boats … All is so familiar to these disciples …

“I am going fishing.” “We will go with you.” So simply … a spirit of harmony, of working together …

Their efforts are in vain … all night …

The day is breaking … In the early morning light, they see a stranger on the shore … They do not recognize him.

“Children, have you any fish?” There is a note of tenderness here … It speaks to their hearts … and mine.

At his bidding they cast the net to the right side … and take in a great quantity of fish … I watch, I sense the beginnings of awareness, the faith that rises in their hearts.

John is the first to understand: “It is the Lord!” This moment of spiritual intuition speaks to my heart. I ask the Lord to open my eyes, to help me to see clearly, to know his presence with me in my work, my efforts, my life …

Peter hastens to the Lord with energy … I sense that nothing will hold him back …

The fire, the meal … their silence. No words are necessary … They know … I live with them this time of silent sharing with the Lord … I too am silent … I too know …

Jesus and Peter … His heart is still bruised by the failure of Holy Thursday evening … I watch as Jesus, with great sensitivity and love, heals Peter’s heart. There is no blaming … only a new opportunity to express the deepest reality in his heart …

“Simon…do you love me?” I hear Jesus say my name, and gently ask me that same question: “Do you love me?” I answer … Like Peter, my heart knows that my human weakness does not stand in the way of my answer …

Again the Lord asks … and again … Again I hear Peter’s answer … Again I answer …

“Feed my lambs … Feed my sheep.” I hear the Lord again entrust to my prayer, to my witness, to my life, the care of those whom he loves, those whom he has committed to my care … And again, I offer myself to the mission …

“When you were young … when you are old …” I allow the Lord to lead in my life …

I ask for this grace in this time of prayer:
Converse with God²

Acknowledge:

• What are the thoughts arising in my heart? I think …
• What are the feelings arising in my heart? I feel …
• What are the desires arising in my heart? I desire …

Relate:

I honestly relate these to God; I talk to him about them, trusting he is present and listening
to me, his beloved child.

Receive:

• I listen to what the Lord wants to say to my heart, knowing his love is gratuitous and unconditional. I receive his love and consolation. I trust he longs to console me, to encourage me, to strengthen me, to heal me, to forgive me …

• I allow him to lead me; perhaps returning to the scripture …

Respond:

• I conclude my prayer time speaking to Jesus, God the Father, and/or the Holy Spirit as I would speak to a friend. I may also invoke the intercession of Mary and the Saints.
(St. Ignatius calls this a colloquy.)

Praise him – give glory to God for who he is; for being all good and loving; for being my Lord and savior …

Thank him – for our time together; for his word to me; for the gifts he has given me today …

Ask him – for his help, grace, strength, wisdom, deeper faith …

• Based on what God is saying to my heart, I resolve to act in the following concrete way to love God and love neighbor (which could be something small). Today I will …

Rest in the Lord: Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

1 Gallagher, T., 2008. An Ignatian Introduction To Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According To The Spiritual Exercises. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company.

2 This way to converse with God in prayer often called ARRR is taught by The Institute for Priestly Formation out of Omaha Nebraska. For more information see Father Traynor, Scott (2013) The Parish as a School of Prayer and Dwyer, Karen and Lawrence (2011) WRAP Yourself in Scripture (IPF Publications).