Week 22 - Choices
Theme:
Jesus chose the way he wanted to take knowing that suffering and death would be a part of it. My connection with Jesus makes me aware of my own choices: the choices I have already made and the choices I will be making.
What I might desire:
Maybe I would like to pray that I am able to discern what brings me true, deep peace. And that I remain open for Jesus’ extreme love.
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In order to prepare myself for this time of prayer, I place myself before God who is looking at me with love.
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Music: Open Thou Mine Eyes John Rutter
Open thou mine eyes and I shall see;
Incline my heart and I shall desire;
Order my steps and I shall walk
In the ways of thy commandments.
O Lord God, be thou to me a God
And beside thee let there be none else,
No other, naught else with thee.
Vouchsafe to me to worship thee and serve thee
According to thy commandments
In truth of spirit,
In reverence of body,
In blessings of lips,
In private and in public.
Open mijn ogen en ik zal zien;
Beweeg mijn hart en ik zal verlangen;
Regel mijn stappen en ik zal de paden van Uw geboden bewandelen.
O, Heer God, wees voor mij een God
En behalve U, laat er geen anderen zijn,
Geen ander, niets anders met U.
Stel vast dat ik U mag aanbieden en dienen
In overeenkomst met Uw geboden
In waarheid van geest,
In eerbied voor het lichaam,
In zegeningen van lippen,
Privé en in het openbaar.
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Luke 22, 19-20
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise, the cup after supper, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
Jesus has given me an assignment: do this in remembrance of me. Time and again I am asked to receive His love. Time and again I hope to become more like Jesus: to be able to love as He loved: giving himself completely. Maybe this influences the choices I make.
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In this chapel I am in God’s presence and I allow my hands to open. In my hands are the choices I have made and also, maybe, the choices I want to make. I invite God to look into my hands. Together we examine which choices fill me with a deep peace and lasting joy.
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Together with God I look at my choices again. Which need to be thrown away?
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Maybe God would like to suggest a new choice for me and lay it in my hands. What would that be? How do I feel if I accept this choice?
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In a moment I will end my prayer by listening to the music one more time. I use these last moments to tell God or Jesus what I have experienced during this meditation.
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Music: Open Thou Mine Eyes John Rutter
For this coming week:
Prayer
Piet van Breemen sj
Prayer is lingering in God’s presence with open hands and an open heart. There are many things in my life which I hold on to tightly with a closed fist: my possessions of course, but also immaterial things – the work I do, the position I hold, the friends I have, my ideas, my principles, my image. If I were to open my fist, then they will still stay in their place, nothing will fall out. But my hands will be open then. And that is what prayer is. After a little while, if I am prepared to stay with my hands open for long enough, the Lord will come. He will take a look and gently stir through all the things that I have in my hands. He might be very surprised: so many things! He will look at me and ask me: “Would you mind terribly if I took this out?” And I would answer: “of course you may take it out. That is precisely why I am here with my hands open.” Maybe the Lord will look at me again and ask: “Would you mind if I put something else in your hands?” And my answer would be: “Of course you may do that.” That is the core of prayer. The Lord may take something out and He may put something in. Nobody else can do that, but He can. He is the Lord. I don’t need to do anything else than open my heart and my hands and stay there for as long as it takes for the Lord to come.