"He commands even the unclean spirits..."
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.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
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.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
LECTIO: Mark 1: 21, 27 Then they came to Capernaum, and on the Sabbath Jesus
entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at His teaching,
for He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. "What is
this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits and
they obey 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: 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.
At every moment God is manifesting God-self
to us, healing our wounds of a lifetime, and using our imperfections to
transform our weaknesses into humility and pure love.
As silence deepens it
morphs into the Divine Presence in contemplative prayer. This is a pervasive
Presence that invites us to accept the embrace of Divine Love and realization
of how much God loves us. December 2016 Contemplative Outreach Newsletter, Father Thomas Keating.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
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.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Go in the name of Christ Jesus to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God!
------------------------------
[This is an adapted format courtesy of Martha Johnston, Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington, DC]
No comments:
Post a Comment