"Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"
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 12: 12-16. The next day, the great crowd that had come to
the festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of
palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who
comes in the name of the Lord— the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey
and sat on it; as it is written: “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion. Look, your
king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand
these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that
these things had been written of him and had been done to 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: “ . . . the path (Jesus) walked is precisely
the one that would most fully unleash the transformative power of his teaching.
It both modeled and consecrated the eye of the needle that each one of us must
personally pass through in order to accomplish the “one thing necessary” here,
according to his teaching: to die to self….Our only truly essential human task,
Jesus teaches, is to grow beyond the survival instincts of the animal
brain...into the [self-emptying] joy and generosity of full human personhood.
His mission was to show us how to do this. It was a mission he freely accepted.
And the energy of his freedom is what ultimately raises the passion above all
the emotional trappings and reveals it as the sacred path of liberation.”
Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus.
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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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