Sundays Reflection from a group message

REFLECTION
One of Ignatius of Loyola's contributions is the Examination of
Consciousness. Unlike the Examination of Conscience, which is an
exercise of identifying faults as we prepare for the Sacrament of
Penance, an examination of consciousness allows us to be more aware of
how God continues to be present ever y moment in our lives.

It is usually done twice a day — during the middle of the day and when
we are about to sleep. As we review part of the day, we are grateful
for the God's many gifts and then, we ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten
us as we go over the events of the day to see how God continually
invites us to a deeper relationship with Him.

For the times we have responded positively, we are encouraged to move
on and be as faithful as ever. And for the occasions we may have
procrastinated or worse, did not heed the call of Jesus, we beg for
forgiveness and ask the Holy Spirit that we may not be discouraged and
lose heart. It is during this process of looking into our hearts that
we become more aware of our decisions that will either strengthen or
weaken our relationship with Jesus. If done with honesty and openness
we are able to see our various motivations as to why we acted in such
a manner. And from such reflection, we hopefully learn in order that
we may become better loving people that will make us pleasing to
Jesus.

We do many things in life for mixed reasons, some good and some not so
good. Thus, we need to constantly and continually purify ourselves in
order that in the end, we may hopefully do things for the right
reasons.

"Where your heart is, there your treasure lies" is something that
Jesus taught us too. There is truth to this insight as we know very
well that whatever we value, this is where we fully invest ourselves.
If family is important, we spend quality time with them. If money is a
priority in our lives, we work very hard in order to earn enough
perhaps at the expense of other equally important aspects of our
lives. Finally, if God is truly number one in our lives, then we show
in our actions how God is truly present particularly in our quest for
love and justice for the poor and the innocent. This disposition can
be supplemented well with our efforts to spend time in prayer
individually and communally through the celebration of the sacraments
particularly of the Eucharist. We do this not to impress others but
rather because of a deep desire to strengthen our relationship with
Jesus whom we love and desire to serve. In doing so, we become his
friends.

And so, in this Eucharist, let us examine ourselves and look deeply
into our hearts. What is it that we truly treasure? Why do we do these
actions? Is it for our personal glory or is it for Jesus? May the Holy
Spirit enlighten us in order that we may lessen our hypocrisy and
truly be consistent with what we say and what we do.

Author unknown