Jesus' Mission and Friendship

God's Invitation to Greater Freedom

He said to [his] disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life and what you will eat, or about your body and what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important are you than birds!

Luke 12:22-24

Week 5 Prayer

Quickly review the past week.

What stands out for you as significant moments both in and out of prayer?
Were what you were praying about and the ordinary or special moments of your own daily life related to each other in some way?
Are you beginning to see greater freedom in your own choices about your personal life?
Are you feeling greater freedom about the future of the Tri- parish family or more “nervousness” or anxiety about change?
Can you present these to Jesus in a special conversation (colloquy)?

Day 1

First Grace: The desire to accompany Jesus as a friend

Second Grace: To understand my own impulses toward feeling, thinking, choosing and acting on the call of Jesus

Text: Luke 12. 22 – 34 or Mt 9.35 - 38

Choose one or the other of these texts and imagine yourself in the event as it unfolds. What do you think or feel? What do you notice about Jesus? What would you like to say to him? What are the pulls toward his work? What keeps me uncomfortable of this work?

Colloquy with Jesus about what you experienced in praying about this text.

Day 2

Same graces as Day 1

Text: Mt 13. 51 – 53 or Mt 14.22-33

Talk to Jesus or Mary or one of the apostles similarly about what came to you in prayer.

Day 3 Same graces as Days 1 and 2

Text: Mt 18. 21 – 35 or Luke 15.11 - 32

Again, choose ONE of the two texts and allow yourself to imagine it deeply. What do you feel? What is Jesus like? How is he responded to by the people of his time?

Day 4: Same graces

Repetition of one of the prayers in the last three days. What caused you to feel locked out or welcomed in to the prayer or relationship with Jesus?

Talk to Jesus about your experience.

Day 5: Same graces

Text:

Colloquy – same questions

Day 6: Same graces

Imaginative prayer – see description below

Visit with Jesus over the meal and ask him the questions you are feeling?

Day 7: Repetition on one of the prayers from Day 5 or 6.

Keep your companions in the discernment process very close to you in prayer.

Are there some others you can invite into a small faith-sharing group?

Imaginative Prayer: Jesus wants to come to my house for dinner.

Use the following scenario to establish your imaginative consideration of this conversation. At the end of this imagination talk to the Father about what you thought, felt, and wanted to do. Be sure to jot down where any feeling or thought that became clear in the mediation – you will need this response later.

Scenario:

On Sunday just after Mass a young man approaches you as you are leaving Church. He tells you that he wants to have dinner with you at your home someday this week. It is not difficult to realize that this is Jesus asking for this invitation, so you set a date and time for him to come to your home for dinner.

(Note what you are thinking about this request for an invitation, and how you feel about responding.)

Imagine your preparations for the supper? How? Why? What?

Imagine greeting Jesus at your door? What does he look like? What does he say to you. How are you feeling about his presence in your home?

As you host him – what is most important about this meal? Why?

What does he tell you? How does he look at you? What memories or events come to mind to provide this imagination?

(Have you ever seen the movie Babette’s Feast for a way to think about this supper?)

What is central to you as your serve the meal? Can you discuss these feelings with him? Why or why not?

At the end of the dinner what does he say to you? What do you say to him?

How do you feel about the consideration of this dinner? Why did Jesus go to people’s homes for dinner? How is his behavior described in Gospel stories?

What feelings and thoughts do you go through as you consider this? Are you excited? Fearful? Angry? . . .

Why do you think you have these feelings?

Journal about your experience and key changes in your feelings or thoughts or decisions during the exercise.