Grace: To rejoice intensely because of the great glory and joy of Christ our Lord. Text for Prayer: See below. Reflection: During the Spiritual Exercises Ignatius wants the retreatant to contemplate and reflect upon a number of different appearances of the Risen Lord to his friends and disciples. Over a period of forty days Jesus… Read more »
Posts By: Mr. Mikey Wood, S.J.
In the Garden and Before Annas: The King Betrayed and Deserted
| XXXV.Grace: Ask for the grace of being able to tell God, “not my will but yours be done.” Text for Prayer: John 18:1-27 Reflection: In these scenes we see the betrayal of Jesus by two of his apostles: Judas who betrays him for money and Peter who denies him for fear of his own life. Judas… Read more »
The Raising of Lazarus: Our Divine Friend
| XXIX.Grace: To have heartfelt knowledge of Jesus who wept over his friend Lazarus, and raised him from the dead, so that I may love him more fervently and follow him more closely. Text for Prayer: John 11:1-57 Reflection: This scene marks a pivotal point in the Gospel of John and the narrative of Jesus’ public ministry… Read more »
Our Lord in the Desert: The Features of Christ’s Kingdom
| XXV.Grace: To have heartfelt knowledge of Jesus who was tempted in the desert, so that I may love him more fervently and follow him more closely. Text for Prayer: Luke 4:1-13; Matthew 4:1-11 Reflection: Jesus passed around thirty years at home in Nazareth. Evidently there came a time when he felt called, or perhaps moved,… Read more »
Nazareth: The Hidden King
| XIX.Grace: To have heartfelt knowledge of Jesus who is the Son of God and my brother, so that I may love him more fervently and follow him more closely. Text for Prayer: Luke 2:51-52 Reflection: In Jesus’ public ministry, his parables are down to earth and make use of common images and experiences of people… Read more »
The Kingdom of Christ: The Call of the Divine King
| XIII.Grace: That I hear the call of Christ, and be ready and willing to answer it. Text for Prayer: Luke 4:14-31 Reflection: Our lives are guided by ideals—we use them to measure our failures and successes, to orient the desires of our hearts, to motivate ourselves or others when the spirit is willing but the… Read more »
Appearances
| XXXIX.Grace: to be glad and rejoice intensely because of the great joy and the glory of Christ our Lord. Text(s): See below Reflection: The Gospels and other new testament writings provide many accounts of different encounters between the Risen Christ and His disciples. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene (Mk 16:1-11), Mary the mother of James,… Read more »
From Gethsemane to Annas: Our King Betrayed and Deserted
| XXXV.Grace: To suffer with Christ who suffers for my sins. Text: John 18:1-22 Reflection: In these final days of Lent, we are called to reflect upon Jesus’ final moments with His friends. After praying in agony throughout the night at Gethsemane, and knowing He was to be betrayed, Jesus calmly faces His betrayer. What kinds… Read more »
The Raising of Lazarus: Our Divine Friend
| XXIX.Grace: To know Jesus more intimately, so that I may follow him with all my heart. Text: John 11:1-44 Reflection: As we follow Jesus, praying and begging for the grace to know Him in the deepest part of our hearts, we hear that His dear friend Lazarus is sick. Martha and Mary have desperately sent… Read more »
The Baptism of Christ: The Divine King Starts His Campaign
| XXIV.Grace: For an intimate knowledge of Jesus, who for me was baptized in order that I may be saved. Text: Matthew 3:13-17 Reflection: There came a point in Jesus’ life when He made the decision to leave His home in order to fulfill His saving mission. Since His public ministry lasted about three years, and… Read more »