Inner Peace in Divine Love Retreat
Week Four – Love in Service
Ex 22 – Action in peace with love
Preparation
First I read the prayer texts about peace, compassion, and service.
Desire
I desire to act in peace with love.
In the World
I go to a high place overlooking my city, suburb, town, or village. It can be the top of a high building, a scenic lookout, a mountain, an office block, or a tall bridge. I take nothing with me except my program for life.
Once there I invite the presence of God, the Lord of the harvest. I ask to be blessed as I make the Sign of the Cross. Then, casting my eyes over the scene below me, I make all that I see a witness to my desire to act in peace with love.
Then I read my program for life, aloud if possible. I offer it to the Trinity and wait some minutes in silence, imagining the delight of Father, Son, and Spirit as they receive it.
Finally, I look out at all before me and, with love, I see the kingdom of God.
AND
In the Eucharist
At the offertory, I use my imagination to place my program for life with the bread and wine as they are taken to the altar. With the prayer of the people, I offer it humbly to God, asking for the strength to carry it out.
At the end of the Eucharist, I imagine God giving me back my program for life, blessing me, and saying with the minister, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”
Prayer Texts
Jesus came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling-place for God.
(Eph 2:17–22)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
(Jn 14:27)
When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, greet it. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
(Mt 9:36–38; 10:1, 5a, 7–13)
Clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.
(Col 3:14–15)
Time: As needed
For greater guidance, depth and practical use of this exercise and retreat, source the First Spiritual Exercises here.
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