"Come, and you will see."
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: John 1: 35-39 John was standing with two of His disciples, and as he
watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." The
two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them
following Him and said to them, "What are you looking for?".
The disciples said to Jesus, "Rabbi"--which translated means
Teacher--"where are you staying?" He said to them,
"Come, and you will see."
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: As we
practice contemplative prayer and learn to listen to the sound of sheer
silence, we are instructed to disregard thoughts that are going by due to our
receptive apparatus in the brain that receives all kinds of data. We let go
into God all that is happening, including our thoughts, and open ourselves
completely.
As we move into the silence of contemplative prayer, we experience
in some degree who we really are, which is beyond our thinking mind and more
real than any sense experience. [If we give God the space to be God
in us, He takes into consideration all the limitations and weaknesses of our
human situation as reflective and self-conscious beings and heals our
self-inflicted and culturally imposed woundedness.]
We do not have to
succeed in this world, we just have to be. That means
to consent to the slice of the human condition that God has given us.
Trust in
God gives us the peace to endure anything. If you do not have the strength to
deal with some difficulty or trial, do not let that worry you either, because
then you are most identified with Christ and the infinite mercy of God. Contemplative
Outreach December 2016 Newsletter, 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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