Sunday Micro Retreat - May 15, 2022
As you begin your time of reflection, try to realize that you are standing on holy ground and that you are in the presence of God who wants to talk to you and who wants to listen to you.
Make the Sign of the Cross and invite the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind so the Word of God that you are about to read can flourish in you for God's glory. Say this prayer using your own words. Let the words flow from your mind, through your heart. Try to "feel" what you are saying.
Is there anything that you would like to ask God at this moment? What graces does your heart desire? Talk to God about it.
Today, ask God for the gift of sacrificial love.
Now read the Sunday's Gospel:
Before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
During the supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.
"Little children, I am with you only a little longer. I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13.1, 31-33a, 34-35)
The Word of God touches everyone differently. If there is anything that really stood out for you in this reading, meditate on it. Go to the depths of your heart and listen to what God is trying to say to you.
Next, let's spend some time with a couple of points that you may consider during this Sunday's Retreat:
1. "When he (Judas) has gone"
When reading this sentence, it almost feels like the last obstacle to the beginning of the imminent 'hour' has been eliminated with Judas leaving the current scene. This moment starts a series of events which put divine self-disclosure in the center of the Paschal Mystery.
Keeping this in mind, think about your life: what are the obstacles that keep you away from glorifying God? What has to "go" from your life before you are ready to fulfil God's mission? Can you clearly name the obstacles? Or can you even recognize any hindrances?
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2. "As I (Jesus) have loved you”
The focus here is on Jesus and on his love. Jesus's love was perfect and it was not about "feelings," but it was about "actions." Through his perfect obedience to the Father, he glorified him. He suffered for those who hurt him. He became the only and the perfect sacrifice for the sin, the broken relationship between God and humankind.
So what does it mean to love like Jesus? It means to forgive, to be merciful, to be ready to suffer for the good of another person. It means to be ready to suffer for those who hurt us the most.
People who are not ready to accept all kinds of pains and sufferings will not be able to learn how to love.
Think about a person, or people, who hurt you the most, who crucified your "heart." Have you truly forgiven them for their wrongdoing against you? Or is your heart still in a tomb waiting for a moment of resurrection?
Are you ready to pray for those "offenders" so they can be in the glory of God one day? Are you ready to go one step further and make sacrifices for them?
This is what Jesus did - he sacrificed his life so you and I can experience the greatest good: a union with God.
At the end of this meditation, talk to Jesus about everything that 'was born in your heart during this reflection. Tell him about your feelings, about your joys and fears that flow from this time of prayer. Be honest with him, and be grateful for everything that happened during this hour.
You may end this retreat by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet for the person who caused the most painful situations in your life
It is good to keep a personal journal in which reflections that stood out for you are recorded. The outcome of those Sunday Micro Retreats is good material that you can talk about in your spiritual direction.
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