"May it be done to me according to Your word."
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: Luke 1:26-28 -- The angel
Gabriel said to Mary: "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.//The
Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you. Therefore the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God...for
nothing will be impossible for God."/Mary said, "Behold, I am the
handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to Your word."
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: Readiness for any eventuality is the attitude of one who
has entered into the freedom of the Gospel. Commitment to the new world that
Christ is creating...requires flexibility and detachment: the readiness to go
anywhere or nowhere, to live or to die, to rest or to work, to be sick or to be
well, to take up one service and to put down another. Everything is important
when one is opening to Christ-consciousness. This awareness transforms our
worldly concepts of security into the security of accepting, for the love of
God, an unknown future...The light of Christmas is an explosion of insight
changing our whole idea of God. Our childish ways of thinking of God are left
behind. As we turn our enchanted gaze toward the Babe in the crib, our
inmost being opens to the new consciousness that the Babe has brought into the
world. 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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