I am asking you only to look at Him

Translated from the original by Ana Giménez.

TERESIAN MEDITATION PRAYER

Being faithful to Saint Teresa and to Church today, I´ll introduce you to the fulfilment of meditation prayer, the one we all must practise with the help of The Holy Spirit.

I have shown several options to know Jesus Christ and become His Friends. The one that follows is the most important. It doesn´t belong to the school of methodical Saint Ignatius´ approach prayer as shown  in his brilliant Spiritual Exercises. Her method consists in no method, we can say that her lack of organization is made up of a solid system. From the freedom God gives us, we will gradually adapt ourselves to different possibilities according to our nature.

1.-Get a book with the daily Word of God / Liturgy of the Hours proposed by Church. Or search in the internet, there are several webs, or download an App, Salterio, E-prex or any other (in English: Laudate app, iBreviary app, etc)

2.-Look for a quiet place in your house to be alone with Jesus the Man. It can also be done in the bus, tram, while walking, etc. and, if you can, next to the Tabernacle.

3.-Examine your conscience after having made the sign of the cross, as a permanent way of own knowledge learnt in the first mansion. And ask God for forgiveness for your errors.

4.-“Imagine that this Lord Himself is at your side”, that´s to say, be conscious of being with the master who wishes to teach us.

5.-Read the daily Word of God at least twice. You are given three courses. If you are still a novice, just use the Gospel. With a bit of determination, every word and every movement of Jesus will talk to you. Meditate on its meaning and try to adapt it to your life.

6.-Next step, allow yourself to “be looked”. And look at Him (I´ll give a further explanation).

Devote the time you can, especially on Sundays after taking part in the Eucharist. It doesn´t matter if are not able for one or a few days. Don´t ever abandon this meditation prayer.

First text to read and learn by Teresa:

“As you know, the first things must be examination of conscience, confession of sin and the signing of yourself with the Cross. Then, daughter, as you are alone, you must look for a companion—and who could be a better Companion than the very Master Who taught you the

prayer that you are about to say? Imagine that this Lord Himself is at your side and see how lovingly and how humbly He is teaching you—and, believe me, you should stay with so good a Friend for as long as you can before you leave Him. If you become accustomed to having Him at your side, and if He sees that you love Him to be there and are always trying to please Him, you will never be able, as we put it, to send Him away, nor will He ever fail you. He will help you in all your trials

and you will have Him everywhere. Do you think it is a small thing to have such a Friend as that beside you?

O sisters, those of you whose minds cannot reason for long or whose thoughts cannot dwell upon God but are constantly wandering must at all costs form this habit. I know quite well that you are capable of it—for many years I endured this trial of being unable to concentrate on one subject, and a very sore trial it is.”(The Way of Perfection 26.1-2)

Second Teresian text:

“I am not asking you now to think of Him, or to form numerous conceptions of Him, or to make long and subtle meditations with your understanding. I am asking you only to look at Him. For who can prevent you from turning the eyes of your soul (just for a moment, if you can do no more) upon this Lord? You are capable of looking at very ugly and loathsome things: can you not, then, look at the most beautiful thing imaginable? Your Spouse never takes His eyes off you, daughters.

He has borne with thousands of foul and abominable sins which you have committed against Him, yet even they have not been enough to make Him cease looking upon you. Is it such a great matter, then, for you to avert the eyes of your soul from outward things and sometimes to look at Him? See, He is only waiting for us to look at Him, as He says to the Bride, you will find Him. He longs so much for us to look at Him once more that it will not be for lack of effort on His part if we fail

to do so.” (The way of Perfection 26.4-5).

Third text by Landulfo de Sajonia, read by her and by Ignatius and surely practised by both:

“Be present to what Jesus Christ says , does or recounts as if you could hear it with your own ears or see with your own eyes (…) Although many of those things are told to have been done in the past, meditate them as if they are done in the present; You will experience more tenderness that way. Read what happened as if happening now. Place before your eyes past facts as present events, and you will feel them even tastier (…)

You only need to put before the eyes of your mind what The Lord has said or done; to talk to Him in a friendly way (…) Meditate His behaviour and His acts in all the words and works of Christ. How he acted in any occasion and how he could have acted according to your view, as He always used to perform the most perfect way, being always He, himself, the best in all things.

His look was sweet, gentle His conversation, all His behaviour kind.

Look mostly at his face, if you are able to picture it.