"Jesus, remember me..."
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 23: 33-43
When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they
crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” .
. . One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying,
“Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him,
saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of
condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what
we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said,
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell
you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
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 or another contemplative guide.
Teaching:
John’s Gospel perceives Jesus
reigning from the cross. Divine love is triumphing over the apparent victory of
worldliness, violence, and sin. Anyone who accepts that vision is reigning with
Christ in the kingdom right now. To paraphrase Jesus’ words to the good thief,
“You are in paradise right now even amidst your sufferings.” Thus, as soon as
we open ourselves to divine love, our sins are forgiven and forgotten. We are
instantly placed, like the good thief, in the realm of divine love. . . . The
reign of Christ the King is not a reign of power but of compassion. He invites
us to participate.
~Thomas Keating, Awakenings, p. 62.
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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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