"One who is more powerful than I is coming."
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 Luke 3: 7-18
John said to the crowds
that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to
flee from the wrath to come? . . . Even now the ax is lying at the root of the
trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire.”
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their
hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of
them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I
is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear
his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he
will burn with unquenchable fire.” So, with many other exhortations, he
proclaimed the good news to the people.
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: Actually, personal sin is not the
problem. . . . It is the false self with its orientation to prefer ourselves to
others, including God. Out of that diseased root comes all the rotten fruit
that the false self produces. . . . So we have to entrust the whole tree, root
and branches, to the mercy of God who alone can heal the radical distortion of
the human condition. This is what conversion is. It is not a Band-Aid approach
to life. It is the radical letting go of our programs for self-centered
happiness in the form of personal or collective security, power and control
over others, and unlimited pleasures, affection, and esteem. That is the
sickness. Thomas Keating, Awakenings, 53.
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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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