THE FATHER LEADS YOU TO HIMSELF
Jesus
loves His Father. He can’t stop talking about Him. The whole message of
His life was central to the love of the Father. He came to make His
Father known in action and in words. He is the visible image of the
Father. Jesus is so caught up in the love of the Father. He earnestly
desires that all will come to know this dynamic and gracious love. It is
the Spirit of the Father Himself who draws us to the Son.
Many
times we are being drawn by the Father. Jesus Himself tells us in the
opening line of today’s Gospel: “No one can come to me unless he is
drawn by the Father.” St. Ignatius, in his spiritual exercises on
discernment, teaches us to be attentive to this drawing of the Father.
We practice that through the examen of consciousness, a very good
exercise for us to grow in faith in the Spirit. The examen enlightens us
to see the good and the bad spirit operating in our lives.
A
good practice in our spiritual life is the examen of consciousness.
Take time in the evening to reflect on the outcome of the day. How were
you drawn to love the Father, to pray, to worship? What conversations,
thoughts and actions went through your day where you see the action of
the Holy Spirit drawing you to the Father? Then take a look at the
things which led you away from Him — the times when you felt withdrawn,
isolated, not wanting to pray. We get in touch with our feelings since
that is where God wants to meet us, to encounter His truth and love. A
good examen will always bring enlightenment and resolution to do better
the next
day.
How
does the Father draw or lead us to Himself? It may be through a word
from a friend, priest or some wise person. It may be through an
experience that causes us anxiety, stress or pain. It may be through a
movie or a good book. It could be in our prayer time. We pray to the
Father to open our eyes to see Him in the daily events of our life. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL
REFLECTION QUESTION: Take
time to do the examen of consciousness every day. First, give thanks
for the events of the day. Second, repent for the times you ignored the
Spirit at work in our life.
Father, lead me to Yourself. Draw me to Your presence and heal me.
No comments:
Post a Comment