"As the Father has sent me, so I send you..."
We invite you to a few minutes of silence before we begin our prayer time together.
We invite you to a few minutes of silence before we begin our prayer time together.
Take a deep breath and breathe in the breath of God, knowing by faith that God breathes into us the breath of life.
CONTEMPLATIVE / SILENT PRAYER
Our Centering Prayer sit is 20 - 30 minutes sounded by the chime/chant. At the end of the Prayer sit, we will linger in silence a few minutes, then follow by praying together the Our Father.
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LECTIO DIVINA: Listening to the Word of God with the ears of our heart [See Chopping Wood (or Carrots) Under the Gaze of God for a discussion of Lectio Divina].
First reading & silent reflection: Reflect in silence.
LECTIO: Pentecost Sunday - John 20. On the
evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, Jesus came
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has
sent Me, so I send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them
and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
Second reading & reflection: What word or phrase catches your attention? Share or pass.
Third reading & reflection: How does this word or phrase touch your life? Share or pass.
Fourth and last reading & silent reflection: How is God inviting you to grow? We will reflect in silence for a few moments before we move from Lectio Prayer to the teaching by Father Keating.
Teaching: To know that Christ is all-in-all--and to know His Spirit, the
ongoing promise of the Father -- this is the grace of Pentecost. The
Spirit has been given; yet He is always waiting to be received so that He can
give Himself again, and more completely. The Spirit is an ongoing promise, an
endless promise that is always fulfilled and always being fulfilled. The Spirit
is the ultimate promise of God welling up in the Trinity from the common heart
of God and the Son. The Spirit is the overflow of the Divine Life into the
sacred humanity of Jesus, and then into the rest of us, His members. It is the
same Spirit that causes our hearts to rejoice because of the confidence that He
inspires in God as Father. Abba, the word that spontaneously wells up in us,
sums up our intimacy with God and our awareness of being not only with God as
friend to friend, but in God. We are in God and God is in us, and the unifying
force is the Spirit. As Jesus prayed: "that they may all be one; as you,
Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also be in Us." The Mystery of Christ, Father Thomas Keating
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We now take some time to share our thoughts and reflections on our own spiritual journey and our prayer practice. Followed by brief prayers of intercession. Share or pass.
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Go in the name of Christ Jesus to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God!
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[This is an adapted format courtesy of Martha Johnston, Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington, DC]
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