Anima Christi Prayer

Review last meditation: 

Topic: Incarnation [101-109]

Preparatory Prayer [46]: I will beg God our Lord for grace that all my intentions, actions, and operations may be directed purely to the praise and service of His Divine Majesty.

Preludes: 3 things

Consideration: This will consist in calling to mind the history of the subject. Here it will be how the Three Divine Persons look down upon the whole expanse or circuit of all the earth, filled with human beings. Since They see that all are going down to hell, They decree in Their eternity that the Second Person should become man to save the human race. So when the fullness of time had come, They sent the Angel Gabriel to our Lady. (#262)

Mental Representation: It will be here to see the great extent of the surface of the earth, inhabited by so many different peoples, and especially to see the house and room of our Lady in the city of Nazareth in the province of Galilee.

Grace:  I will ask God for what I desire: Here it will be to ask for an intimate knowledge of our Lord, who has become man for me, that I may love Him more and follow Him more closely.

Points [106-109]: 3

First, to see the different persons:

1. Those on the face of the earth, in such great diversity in dress and in manner of acting. Some are white, some black, some of this race or that; some at peace, and some at war; some weeping, some laughing; some well, some sick; some coming into the world, and some dying; etc.
2. I will see and consider the Three Divine Persons seated on the royal dais or throne of the Divine Majesty. They look down upon the whole surface of the earth, and behold all nations in great blindness, going down to death and descending into hell.
3. I will see our Lady and the angel saluting her. I will reflect upon this to draw profit from what I see.

Second, will be to listen to what the persons on the face of the earth say, that is, how they speak to one another, swear and blaspheme, etc. I will also hear what the Divine Persons say, that is, “Let us work the redemption of the human race,” etc. Then I will listen to what the angel and our Lady say. Finally, I will reflect upon all I hear to draw profit from their words.

Thirdly, will be to consider what the persons on the face of the earth do, for example, wound, kill, and go down to hell. Also what the Divine Persons do, namely, work the most holy Incarnation, etc. Likewise, what the Angel and our Lady do; how the Angel carries out his office of ambassador; and how our Lady humbles herself, and offers thanks to the Divine Majesty.

Then I shall reflect upon all to draw some fruit from each of these details.

Colloquy.  I will think over what I ought to say to the Three Divine Persons, or to the eternal Word incarnate, or to His Mother, our Lady. According to the light that I have received, I will beg for grace to follow and imitate more closely our Lord, who has just become man for me.

Close with an Our Father.

Additional Points:

First, we are to see the characters. Then to hear their conversation. Thirdly, consider their actions. Good actions come from the heart. Jesus Himself said you will know them by their fruits. (Mt,7,16)

God saw their evil thoughts and actions: The Lord saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Gen 6,5).

Saint Paul about good works:

Titus 2:2-3 Older men are to be…dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers…They are to teach what is good

What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, comes evil thoughts, fornication, theft…deceit, envy..pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within..(Mk7,18-23)

Consider these things when thinking about the diversity of people on the Earth: actions that come forth from a good heart produces good; actions coming from an evil heart produce bad fruit: every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. (Mt7,16)

Distinguish between actions of God (such as we are considering here, the decision to work redemption for the human race) and the actions of human beings. The Divine Intellect is perfect. God wished to work man’s redemption through the Christ’s Incarnation – this decision was the result of God’s goodness. Christ said: I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. (Jn12,47). And, I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me…(Jn 6,38).  But actions of men, on the other hand, are not as predictable. His actions may be evil, as when he takes innocent life: Israel has filled this place with the blood of innocents, and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burn offerings. (Jer19,5). Or, men do actions that are good in themselves, but for the wrong reason: they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen. (Mt 6,16). There are some who do good actions for a good end: The Jews asked Jesus to heal the son of the Roman centurion, they besought Jesus earnestly, saying: “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he built us our synagogue.” Sometimes men act correctly, but God always acts for good.

God decided to send His Eternal Son to Earth as a Man:

Saint Thomas Aquinas commentary on the Incarnation:

Someone might argue that the Incarnation does not make sense. Imagine hearing of God’s plan before it happened: The Second Person of the Holy Trinity will be hidden under the frail body of a babe … this Prince will depart from His throne and take to Himself so frail a body.

Saint Augustine responded: God is great not in mass, but in might. The greatness of the Trinity’s might is not intimidated by smallness.

III q1,a1

Another may argue that the Incarnation was not the best way to help men and to offer salvation to men. By coming so close to mankind, they have lost reverence for God’s almightiness.

Saint Thomas says: By taking flesh, the reverence for God has increased because reverence naturally grows with knowledge of Him — the more a person knows God, the easier it is to reverence Him. Inasmuch as He wished to draw near to us by taking flesh, He greatly drew us to know Him.

III, q1,a2

Ignatius wants us to see the diversity of people roaming on the Earth. To hear their words and conversations, and also the 3 Persons of the Holy Trinity. To observe how they act–why they act, for what purpose they act? To see the fruit of their thoughts and actions.

In the colloquy, one should speak according to the light received and ask for grace to follow and imitate more closely our Lord, who has just become man for me.