"If your brother sins against you..."
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.
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LECTIO: Matthew 18:15-20. "If your brother sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be established as the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.... I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
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: The duty of confrontation is a hard one. According to this text, if you see people doing something seriously wrong, there is an obligation, given certain norms of prudence, to bring this fault to their attention so that they do not disintegrate into more and more self-destructive behavior. Just how far this approach applies to us depends on our vocation.... The Lord indicates that if you have tried to correct and have not succeeded, you have fulfilled your duty and no more is expected of you other than to go on praying.... If all these efforts fail, you have completed your duty and now you can treat the offender like tax collectors whom everybody avoids. You still love the person, but the duty of trying to correct him or her has gone as far as it can go.
Love alone can change people. This is the great confrontation that no one can resist. It offers others space in which to change no matter what they do.... By showing love no matter what happens, we provide them with a milieu in which they can experience the possibility of changing. This is to imitate God's compassion toward us. He is constantly trying to correct us but never with vindictiveness. Awakenings, Fr. 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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