God's Work In Me and In the World
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Meditation on the World
Go to a place where there are many people passing by or gathered. This could be a mall, a busy corner, a Church before services start, a park or busy street corner, a restaurant, or the upper floor of a building or a hill top overlooking the city.
As you imagine all these people in their homes or work places, as they walk down the street or are ahead of you in line, think how deeply God loves each one. Remember God’s love for you at your birth and realize that each human person is profoundly precious to God. But as you see the people know that you are seeing people who have been abused, people who are obsessed by something, people who worship false gods, people who have never known love or have never loved anyone else. People who are sick or well, depressed or content, etc. AS you see all this ask God to show you how he feels about these people. Ask him to give you a feeling of the intensity of his compassionate care for each one, and his deep desire to save or rescue each one.
Realize that there are more than 7 billion such people all over the world. The majority of then are under 20 years old. Hundreds of million are small children.
Quiet yourself and talk with God about this experience of his world and his people. What comes to mind for you?
Observe in your mind a small child or infant. Consider how helpless such a child is. Consider an elderly person who is coming to the end of their life here on earth. Consider a young mother without enough to feed her starving child or children. Consider men and women from another racial or ethnic group than yours. Pray for each of the people you envisage and ask that God open your heart to them.
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Journaling:
What did you discover about the world as you watched it go by?
What do you feel for these folks?
What did God reveal about his affections and concerns?
How do you respond to his feelings?
Following the model we have used the last few weeks, I recommend the following: Prayer period with review of prayer and journaling and two 15 minute Examens per day – looking for what you are grateful for and where God seemed to be acting, as well as those place the “enemy” pulled you away from God and what Grace you need to avoid that in the future.
Week 17 Prayer period (30 minutes each day following the Ignatian Model we have been using)
Possible Desires to pray for during this week:
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Knowledge of God’s Love for you and the Divine Will for you today
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Gratitude for a gift that God has given
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Specific need for growth or conversion that became clear in your Examens the day before
Matter to consider:
Day 1: Gospel for the day
Day 2: Meditation on the world (attached to this week)
Day 3. Repetition of one of the first two considerations
Day 4: First reading or Gospel for the day
Day 5: First reading or Gospel for the day
Day 6: Meditation on the world – but specifically apply it to North Omaha
Day 7: Repetition of any of the considerations through the week that touched you.
Questions: (select one or two to think about – or draw from the list of last week. DO NOT try to answer every question every day – select one that seems to attract you.) Where in the prayer were you distracted? Where were you not able to experience any feelings or ideas at all?
Where in the considerations did you feel God’s love for those Jesus was interacting with? With the people of the world that you were imagining or remembering?
What seems to move you toward God and God’s desire? What moves you away from God’s desire?
At the beginning of prayer how do you FEEL in your body and spirit?
At the end of prayer did you your FEEL in your body or spirit
Did any insight open up for you?
Spend time in colloquy with Jesus about the people he and you “encountered” in this prayer.
Journal your feelings, thoughts and direction for decision for your own life, and share a key experience or insight with your group
Week 18 Prayer periods
Desires could remain the same as last week or name something you need or want God to do for you or to grant you. Consider why you want what you are asking for.
Matter to Consider
Day 1: Gospel for the Day
Day 2: Gospel for the Day
Day 3: Gospel for the Day
Day 4: Repetition of one of the first three days’ prayer content – remember that in repetition you go back to the strong feeling or insight and begin the text in that place. Ask Jesus what it means and what the Father desires to grant you.
Day 5: Meditation on the World
Day 6: Meditation on the world applied to the people in Church on Sunday
Day 7: Repetition on the last two days of prayer
Colloquy with God the Father
Review your prayer for the movements of the Spirit of God and the spirits of the enemy of human flourishing,
JOURNAL and SHARE with your group.