Sunday Micro Retreat - May 29, 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 genuine discipleship.
Now read the Sunday's Gospel:
Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple blessing God.
(Luke 24, 44-53)
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. " Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures"
This sentence carries out a very powerful message that Jesus (God) has an intimate contact and access to the human spirit. He is the only one that has a power over it. Very often people are under the impression that the fallen angles (evil spirits) have "full access" to our souls too. Some people are under the impression that a psychic or fortune teller has an access to the past or to the future of a person's life. This is not true. It is a lie that the evil spirits spread to keep us away from trusting God. Only God truly knows what is taking place in our hearts and minds. Therefore, through an infused gift, in a split of a second, God can give a person a knowledge and understanding of the messages contained in a Scriptures that others may obtain through years of studies.
Now, reflect on your own spiritual experiences. Can you recall a moment where a teaching or a passage from the Scripture became really clear for you? If you had that experience, what did you do with it? Did it influence your desire to follow Jesus? Did it make you a stronger disciple?
Also, have you ever visited a psychic? Are you aware that this is something that we should not do as it can become the door through which the evil spirits get access to us?
2. “You are witnesses.”
This statement makes is very clear that Jesus wanted his disciples to proclaim the Good News from the point of personal experience of someone who was an eyewitness of the risen Christ.
A witness is someone who sees a particular event and reports what happened.
Therefore, reflect on your own relationship with Jesus. What is it that you have witnessed about Jesus in your spiritual journey that you are now ready to share with others?
How is your own relationship with Jesus? Do you have one?
Jesus is inviting all of us to be not only his disciples, his followers, but he is also inviting us to be witnesses, to be people of deep and genuine relationship with Christ. Is this the desire of your heart?
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 visiting an Adoration Chapel where you can talk to Jesus in your own words asking him for the grace of being a true witness of the Christian faith.
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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