"Let the little children come to me..."
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 10: 2-16.
People were bringing
little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples
spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to
them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such
as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not
receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took
them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
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 long as we are identified with some role or persona, we are not
free to manifest the purity of God’s presence. Part of life is a process of
dropping whatever role, however worthy, you identify with. Your body is not
you. If you are not those things,
who are you? . . . The ultimate abandonment of one’s role is not to have a self
as a fixed point of reference; it is the freedom to manifest God through one’s
own uniqueness. . . . To be no one is to be everyone. To be no self is to be
the true Self. . . . For Christians, it is to be a kind of fifth Gospel: to
become the word of God and to manifest God rather than the false self. Thomas
Keating, The Human Condition, 42, 44, 45.
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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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