"Go; your faith has made you well."
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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First reading & silent reflection: Reflect in silence.
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LECTIO: from Mark 10: 46-52.
As Jesus and his disciples were
leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When
he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, ‘Jesus,
Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he
cried out even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still
and said, ‘Call him here.’ And they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Take
heart; get up, he is calling you.’ So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and
came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The
blind man said to him, ‘My teacher, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go;
your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed
him on the way.
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 awakening of the spiritual
senses is the call of the gospel to see with the eyes of faith. When the
spiritual senses are activated, then we truly hear, then we truly see; we have
the receptive apparatus to open to the heart of reality. Through faith, hope,
and charity we hear the ultimate message of the universe. The result of that
awakening is symbolized in what the blind man did on receiving his sight: he
followed him. Jesus emphasizes what healed him. Faith! This was not just the faith
that works through reason, but the faith that is a direct intuition. "Go
in peace," he says to this man, "your faith has saved you." Your
faith, that is, your consent to God calling you, touching you, transforming
you. Transformation in Christ is the ultimate healing. Thomas Keating, Awakenings,
p. 39-40.
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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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