"We give thanks to God always for all of 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: Thessalonians 1:1-5b Grace to you and peace. We give
thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance
in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God,
how you were chosen. For our gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also
in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.
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: It is our hearts that we are offering to God in Centering Prayer,
hearts that are pleading for the Holy Spirit and, at the same time, putting up
with the weakness of human nature and our own personal melodrama, for the love
of God. As we return to the sacred symbol again and again, we gradually
become aware that we are cultivating the spiritual level of our awareness.
In this sense, every time we move from a thought into the place of interior
silence we are renewing our love of God. We do not judge our prayer by how many
thoughts we have, however much we are bombarded by them. Rather, we judge
it by how promptly we go back ever so gently to the sacred
symbol. Thus we may have made hundreds of acts of the love of God in the
course of a single period of Centering Prayer! The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
grow in direct proportion to the depth and sincerity of our love. Intimacy With God, 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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