"Peace be with you."
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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LECTIO DIVINA: Listening to the Word of God with the ears of our heart [See Chopping Wood (or Carrots) Under the Gaze of God for a discussion of Lectio Divina].
First reading & silent reflection: Reflect in silence.
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LECTIO: from John 20: 19-31
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week,
and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of
the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After
he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples
rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this,
he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive
the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they
are retained.”
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:
In the midst of their conversation [in the upper room],
Jesus suddenly appeared, throwing the group into a state of panic. They thought
he was a ghost, even though they had just been talking about his appearance to
Peter. Jesus’ words to them are fraught with significance: “Peace be to you!”
Peace is the tranquility of order. It is true security. True security is the
direct consequence of divine union. There is nothing wrong with desiring
security. Everybody wants it and needs it. The problem is that we look for it in
the wrong places. Peace is the result of the principal benefit of Christ’s
resurrection – the experience of the divine Presence as permanent. Peace is the
treasure that Jesus triumphantly and joyfully bestows, or tries to bestow, on
his crushed and demoralized apostles.
--Thomas Keating, The Mystery of Christ, 78.
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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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