"Faith, hope, and love abide...the greatest of these is love."
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 I Cor. 13: 1-13
If I speak in the tongues of
mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging
cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have
love, I am nothing. If I giveaway all my possessions, and if I hand over my
body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
. . . . When I was a child, I
spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I
became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror,
dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will
know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love
abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
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: This is a great mystery…Anything we say
about God has a super-meaning and its real meaning is in relation to this inner
experience that gradually alerts us and sensitizes us to the presence of the Abba
in everyone else and–in fact–in all creation. Abba is so close to us, closer
than breathing, closer than living, closer than dying. So close that you can’t
find Him because there are no faculties that can recognize this mystery. It’s so
direct that the only place we can experience its fullness is in the light of
glory where there are no more human veils or limitations to shield us from the
full force of the divine light–life–the unconditional love. ~From Thomas Keating's audiotape, Who is God?
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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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