Jesus said to his
disciples: "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who
loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him
and reveal myself to him." Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, "Master,
then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the
world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Whoever loves me will keep
my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our
dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the
word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. I have told you
this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will
send in my name-- he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told
you." (John 14: 21-26)
Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for
granting me the opportunity to be with you. There are things in life, Lord,
that attract me, but you attract me more. I hope in you, and I love you. Maybe
I don’t really understand what it means to love, and maybe I don’t love the way
I should, but I do love you.
Petition: Lord, a lot of images
distract me. Help me do something about this.
1. The Danger: It is easy to forget
you, Lord, especially with all the images that are around me. Every image I
harbor in my heart, every emotion I abandon myself to leaves its mark. These
can come from the radio, the Internet, songs, novels… anywhere. They seem to
swamp my mind and make it easier to forget you. These images and emotions can
also impoverish, degrade, limit and reduce my ability to extract from life its
magnificent content, usefulness and happiness. You remind me that I should use
everything only in as much as it helps me to reach you, my final goal.
2. The Gift: On the other hand, I
know you have sent us the gift of the Holy Spirit. As you promise in this
Gospel, he will never stop reminding me of you. All I have to do is let his
projector fill my imagination with images, with thoughts, with insights. Of
course, I also have to use the world’s media correctly and in moderation. Holy
Spirit, I know you are near; take possession of my soul and make it all your
own. Guide my every decision so that I choose what is right and reject what is
evil.
3. Accepting the Gift:
When
I do forget, the Holy Spirit will remind me of all that Christ has said.
All of the emotions
and thoughts you inspire, Holy Spirit, will enrich my ability to live
enthusiastically and forcefully. You will fill my mind with great and powerful
images. All I have to do is open myself to you.
“The habitual
difficulty in prayer is distraction. […] To set about hunting down distractions
would be to fall into their trap, when all that is necessary is to turn back to
our heart: for a distraction reveals to us what we are attached to, and this
humble awareness before the Lord should awaken our preferential love for him
and lead us resolutely to offer him our heart to be purified. Therein lies the
battle, the choice of which master to serve” (Catechism of the Catholic Church,
n. 2729).
Conversation with
Christ: Lord,
I have the option of letting myself be consumed with thoughts of anger, lust
and power—thoughts that will make me grow old and become a more intense version
of myself, closed in on myself. Help me take the steps to avoid these
temptations. Allow the Holy Spirit to animate my mind and my soul.
Resolution: I
will clear my mind by filling my thoughts with God and his things
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