Scripture
Luke 1: 39-45
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb.
And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Ignatian Reflection
Fulfilling the Promise
Here's a good Christian thought: I am more sure that I will live forever in eternity than I am that I will live through tomorrow. For though there is no human authority to assure me that my life will go on, there is One in our flesh who has assured us that any who follow him and believe that Jesus is the Christ, has eternal life (Jn.6:47).
These are all good thoughts, but all of us naturally look forward to tomorrow and the day after that, not expecting to be hit by a garbage truck or struck by lightning – though these things happen. So I go from day to day doing the next good thing and trying to live in the awareness of God’s creating and redeeming presence in my little life-world, and also aware of the beautiful people around me and what they might want and need, just as much as good people in the Vatican do, or in any convent of holy contemplatives.
So, I have bet my life that in Communion I receive into myself the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus our Redeemer, and he comes into my flesh with his radiant eternal life, and that is the radiance that I live in. That radiance guarantees that he has come to redeem his promise, “Behold, I will be with you all days.” And all of this is how he does it and lets me pray like this.
—Fr. Joseph Tetlow, SJ, is an author and recognized authority on Ignatian Spirituality, the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, and the Jesuit practice of discernment. He is a member of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province.
Ignatian Prayer
Dec 21, 2024
Prayer
Christ has no body but mine,
No hands, no feet on earth but mine,
mine are the eyes with which He looks
compassion on this world,
mine are the feet with which He walks to do good,
mine are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.
mine are the hands, mine are the feet,
mine are the eyes, I am with all is body.
Christ has no body now but mine,
no hands, no feet on earth but mine,
mine are the eyes with which He looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but mine.
—Attributed to St. Teresa of Avila, adaptation by Fr. Joseph Tetlow, SJ
The Daily Examen is a prayer technique developed by St. Ignatius to help us reflect on the events of the day to discern God's presence and direction. When Ignatius founded the Society of Jesus, he required the Jesuits to practice the Examen twice daily—at noon and at the end of the day. It's a habit that Jesuits, and many other Christians, practice to this day.
The Examen structure presented below is adapted from a technique described by Ignatius Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises. Click here for more information from our partners in ministry at Loyola Press.
Daily Examen
1. Become aware of God's presence
God, I believe that at this moment I am in your presence and you are loving me.
2. Review the day with gratitude
God, you know my needs better than I know them. Give me your light and your help to see how you have been with me, both yesterday and today.
3. Pay attention to your emotions
God, help me to be grateful for the moments when people have affirmed me and challenged me. Help me to see how I have responded, and whether I have been kind to others and open to growth.
4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it
God, forgive me for when I have not done my best or have failed to treat others well. Encourage me, guide me, and continue to bless me.
5. Look toward tomorrow
As I look to the remainder of this day, make me aware that you are with me. Show me how to be the person you want me to be.
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