St Ignatius of Loyola outlined a number of Spiritual Exercises as a way to go deeper with God and with self. The climax of these disciplines he called ‘Contemplation of the love of God’.

So in an attitude of prayer, 

sit or kneel and first be still…

Sit upright but relaxed…

Breathe calmly and regularly…

Now imagine for a moment, 

that your life and all it contains was presented in front of you…  

All the people and elements that are important… 

Reflect on God’s gifts to you…

life, family, friends, faith, church, spirituality, the future..

Pause to reflect

Now imagine that you are facing Jesus…  

Reflect on how Jesus loves you, 

and how God in Jesus is self-giving.

Pause to reflect

Reflect on how you have experienced 

God’s continuing loving work in the world.

Pause to reflect

Now reflect on the limitless quality of God’s love… 

As a contemporary paraphrase has it, 

“God’s love shines down upon me like the light rays from the sun, 

or God’s love is poured forth lavishly 

like a fountain spilling forth its waters into an unending stream.”

Pause to reflect

Finally at the end of this contemplation, 

St Ignatius invites us make a generous response in return…  

Offer the following prayer as an expression from the heart.

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, 

my memory, 

my understanding, 

and my entire will – 

all that I have and call my own. 

You have given it all to me. 

To you, Lord, I return it. 

Everything is yours; 

do with it what you will. 

Give me only your love and your grace. 

That is enough for me. Amen.