Opening Prayer: Prayer for Discernment from the Jesuit priest Pedro Arrupe, S.J.

Grant me, O Lord, to see everything now with new eyes;
to discern and test the spirits that help me read the signs of the times;
to relish the things that are yours and communicate them to others.
Give me the clarity of understanding that you gave Ignatius.
Amen.

Closing Prayer from St. Francis de Sales: 

Be at peace.
Do not look forward in fear to the changes of life;
rather look to them with full hope as they arise.
God, whose very own you are, will deliver you from out of them.
He has kept you hitherto, and He will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand it, God will bury you in his arms.
Do not fear what may happen tomorrow;
the same everlasting Father who cares for you today
will take care of you then and every day.
He will either shield you from suffering, or give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imagination.

Reflection Questions:
What might God be asking you to leave behind in the past year? What or whom might God be asking you to welcome in the new year?

How has God been with you in the past year, as Emmanuel? How might you be praying for God to be with you in the new year?

Discussion Questions:
What might God be asking you to welcome in the new year? What’s one insight you are taking away from today’s Scripture or session?

Opening Prayer:

God of gold, we seek your glory:
the richness that transforms our drabness into colour,
and brightens our dullness with vibrant light;
your wonder and joy at the heart of all life.

God of incense, we offer you our prayer:
our spoken and unspeakable longings, our questioning of truth,
our search for your mystery deep within.

God of myrrh, we cry out to you in our suffering:
the pain of all our rejections and bereavements,
our baffled despair at undeserved suffering,
our rage at continuing injustice;

and we embrace you, God-with-us,
in our wealth, in our yearning, in our anger and loss.

Source: Jan Berry, Bread of Tomorrow: Prayers for the Church Year

Closing Prayer: Prayer of Good Courage

Lord God, 
you have called your servants 
to ventures of which 
we cannot see the ending, 
by paths as yet untrodden, 
through perils unknown. 
Give us faith to go out 
with good courage, 
not knowing where we go, 
but only that your hand 
is leading us 
and your love 
supporting us, 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Source: Eric Milner-White, Daily Prayer

Reflection Questions:
Who or what has brought you surprising wisdom or insight or gifts from God? Who is leading you to God’s light?

What joy or goodness do you hope God might bring into your new year? Or (if that’s challenging to imagine): What would you lay at God’s feet right now?

Discussion Questions:
Who or what in your life has brought you surprising wisdom or gifts from God? Who is leading you to God’s light?

What’s one insight you are taking with you from today’s Scripture or session – or this retreat as a whole?