"Repent, and believe in the gospel."
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: Mark 1: 14-18. Jesus
came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God; "This is the time of
fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the
gospel." As He passed the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon, and his brother
Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to
them, "Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." They
abandoned their nets and followed Him.
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: If we pray with the intention to
open and surrender to God, drawing the curtains on our ordinary thinking
processes for a specified time like 20 minutes to an hour, we are responding to
Christ's call to repentance; that is, to change the direction in which we are
searching for happiness. We are accepting Christ's invitation to a
"daily interview" with Him as the Divine Therapist.
Many people have
found that contemplative prayer puts a certain order into their lives. As their
minds become clearer and less cluttered, they are better able to choose their
priorities. John of the Cross has this challenging saying, "If you find
that you are working so much that you don't have enough time for your regular
prayer time, just double it!"
Through this profoundly psycho-spiritual
process, the Spirit works back through our personal history....We access each
level until we come to the bottom where the real source of most of our
emotional problems actually is, the fragility of early childhood. The Better Part, 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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