"When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone."
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 6: 28-36 (37-43a)
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the
mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed,
and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and
Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure,
which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions . .
. saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving
him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make
three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” —not knowing
what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and
they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice
that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had
spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no
one any of the things they had seen.
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 disciples could not
recognize Jesus as long as their mindsets about who he was and what he was to
do were in place. When Jesus demolished their blindness with his explanation of
the scriptures, their vision of him began to assume a more realistic tone. The
price of recognizing Jesus is always the same: our idea of him, of the church,
of the spiritual journey, of God himself has to be shattered. To see with the
eyes of faith we must be free of our culturally conditioned mindsets. When we
let go of our private and limited vision, he who has been hidden from us by our
pre-packaged values and preconceived ideas causes the scales to fall from our
eyes. He was there all the time. Now at last we perceive his Presence. Thomas
Keating, The Mystery of Christ, 77.
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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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