"Continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God."
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 Hebrews 13: 8; 15-16
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday
and today and forever. Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice
of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not
neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing
to God.
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.
In the crisis of faith, God asks of us two sacrifices.
One is the sacrifice of the desert, and the other is the sacrifice of
praise…The sacrifice of the desert is the sacrifice of bearing with temptation.
When we experience the rebellion of our lower nature, we offer ourselves to God
in the state of weakness, misery, and apparent defeat…But there is also the
sacrifice of praise…From time to time in this desert we come to an oasis, and
for a few moments God allows us to experience his love and to be conscious of
his divine help. When we are up against it and have no strength of ourselves
and cast all our hope on him; or when we expect to fail but for some
extraordinary reason, which can only be the grace of God, do not; then there
wells up a flood of gratitude, very gentle at times, at other times like a
tidal wave. Call it consolation if you wish. At least it is the consolation of
not having failed, of not having surrendered to temptation and sin.
~Thomas Keating, Crisis of Faith, Crisis of Love, p 90.
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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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