Theme:

Saint Ignatius explained that we cannot expect God to adapt to our own (sometimes disorderly) choices. Choices which are purely made, must be in tune with our commitment to the Lord.

What I may wish to ask:

That the choices I make will bring me ever closer to Jesus and help me to follow Him.

Theme:

What is essential for my life as a Christian?

How do the choices I make actually get made?

What I may wish to ask:

That I am able to answer Jesus’ invitation and can make choices for my life which are in tune with what I have seen in Jesus.

That I can let Jesus choose me.

Theme:

Jesus did not want to count equality with God as a thing to be grasped.

He took on the form of a servant.

He became obedient until death, even death on a cross.

Because of His love for us.

What I might wish to ask:

That I may be touched by the mystery of Jesus’ intense love.

That I may be able, in all modesty, to give direction to my life in accordance with Jesus’ example.

That my heart is open to the love Jesus shows.

Theme:

Jesus gives us food for on the journey we take in life. In this way he makes it possible for us to live in accordance with His spirit.

What I may wish to ask:

That Jesus can satisfy my hunger and that I can learn to joyfully receive good things from Him.

Theme:

I accept the authority with which Jesus speaks

and how He unambiguously points out His way.

What I may wish to ask for:

Peace!

We try to become silent, deep within ourselves.

We do this through our breathing: inhale calmly, exhale calmly.

And the quieter we become within ourselves, the clearer we recognise the presence of the God of Peace within us.

Welcome! It is good to be together again in our beautiful chapel.

God is expecting to meet you and me and He is happy to see me. In silent prayer I take a minute to let God come close to me.

Theme:

By listening intensively, I let Jesus’ words enter my heart.

What I might wish to ask:

That I let Jesus speak to me, as if I were in His presence

that I may experience that He is instructing me as someone in authority;

that He is able to touch my heart.

Theme

Jesus calls me personally;
what is God’s dream about me ?
How can I discern  God’s will ?

What I choose and ask

that I may see understand what Jesus can do with people.
what Jesus can do with me .  That I am ready to do what Jesus desires for me.

“To see Him more clearly - to love Him more dearly – to follow Him more nearly”

Theme:

Jesus chooses to do what He feels called to do. He will face temptation, but He knows what He has to do.

What I may wish to ask:

That I can choose together with Jesus, that I can make the same choices He made. That I can live my life in the same way He lived His life.

For a few moments I don’t need to think about anything and I don’t need to do anything – just to close my eyes, breathe and simply be present in this stillness and silence. Present for God.

Can I become more aware of in the movements, the inclinations of my soul ?
Can I improve my awareness of what is going on ?
If so,  I can discern better what real joy is, real richness.
I will see superficial pleasures for what they are: superficial -
and I will become more free to choose what will give durable peace.

What I choose and ask: that I may see more clearly what is going on inside myself. That I can choose what helps me forward.

##   Discernment is always about two good things! When there is good and bad, you have to choose the good – easy!
##    God and man ( & woman) are not in competition “God en mens zijn geen concurrent” God desires that I am a happy full filled person

“To see Him more clearly - to love Him more dearly – to follow Him more nearly” d

Theme:

Jesus only became the person He is after a long process of internal growth. His realization of His destiny was able to ripen as a result of His relationship with those around him. Jesus chooses what He stands for. It is no different for me.

What I might wish to ask:

That I can see how my own process of internal growth has brought me to where I am today. That my destiny in life may become clearer by deepening my understanding of Jesus and the choices He made. That I have the courage to face uncertainty in life.

he meditation I want to offer you today is based on the Gospel of Candlemas, the feast of the Lord's presentation in the temple. (Read Lk. 2, 22-38) First, we can imagine the scene, as we can see on the icon. We see Joseph and Mary on the left, and old Simeon holding the child Jesus in his hands. Behind Simeon is Anna, the prophetess. Looking at such an image can help us focus on the Bible passage we are going to pray with. And we can also use our imagination in the process. This can make the scene come alive, as if we were there ourselves. Maybe we feel drawn to a certain person or persons in the scene…We formulate our desire, inner knowledge of the Lord, who became man for me, to love and follow Him more…

Theme:

God steps into our history of humanity

by becoming human himself:

He becomes one of us, one with us.

With all His heart and soul, He commits Himself

to all the countless people,

to whom, out of love, He gave life.

I can talk to Him person to person so as friends do.

What I might wish to ask for:

That I may be able to fathom out and understand

what God becoming human means for the world,

for the people I know and also for myself.

Welcome in our Chapel just a few days after Christmas.

I prepare myself and become aware of my breathing.

I try to quieten my mind and become still.

In this inner stillness I may draw myself close to God.

He is waiting for me. He is happy that I am here and He looks at me with love.

Theme:

Jesus is also calling me to actively give form to His Kingdom here on Earth.

What I might wish to ask for:

That I may find what I am searching for: the person who gives meaning to my life. That I may respond to His invitation. That I have the courage to go along with whatever plans He has for me.

Picture: Madonna and Child by Barbara Hepworth. St Ives, England

Theme:

God takes me and accepts me just as I am.

Realizing this gives me a new beginning in my life,

a path which can be taken.

What I might wish to ask God for:

That I may accept that I am accepted as I am.

That I can thank God for everything which has been given to me.

That, in this time of Christmas, I may receive the child, Jesus, into my heart.

Theme:

God, who is looking at me lovingly, accepts me just as I am.

He lets me live!

What I might wish to ask:

That I can overcome my resistance to surrendering myself to His love. That I may experience that He has won me over.

That I have the courage to look at my faults with open eyes and an open heart.

That I allow myself to be touched by God’s presence in my life.

That I can carry on turning back to God over and over again.

God’s Love for me goes beyond my own faults.

What I may wish to ask:

That I can repent and recognize, that my faults have consequences;
that I can find my place in a world which is unfinished and imperfect.
That I accept that God accepts me, loves me as I am.

Welcome to this Friday evening meditation.

 I try to become still and quiet within myself. I adopt a relaxed but attentive position and I become aware of my breathing.

 I place myself in the presence of our loving God who is gazing at me with mercy and unconditional love.

Theme:

I see my life as it really is. In his own way, God is at work in my life. Everything that there is in my life, light and dark, can be entrusted to Him.

What I might wish to ask for

That my trust in God may grow

That I can entrust myself to Him.

That I may become intimate with God.

Welcome to this Friday evening meditation in our beautiful Stanislas Chapel. God is happy to see me here: to see all of us here. He invites me to be close to Him here. I spend a few silent moments in order to realize this fully and draw myself closer to Him.

The theme this week is “God’s presence in my life”.

Theme:

I look at my own life-story in order to discover God’s presence in my life; my life with its good times and its bad times, with light and with darkness.

What I may wish to ask/ what I desire:

That I have the courage to look at the reality of my own life with everything that encompasses. That I can accept my life with all that has happened in it until now. That I may recognize God’s presence in my life as it has been until now.

Whatever happens, wherever I find myself, whatever I am feeling, He remains close to me.

Theme:

Everything has been set in motion by God’s creative power of love.

We are part of this movement which is still in progress.

What I might wish to ask for:

That I am able to discover God’s presence in creation.

That I can look at creation as something which is still taking place.

That I may have a role to play in this ongoing process of creation.