Lectio Template 157

"Because I live, you will also live."

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.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

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.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

LECTIO: from John 14: 15-21

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.

I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 

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: 

Jesus’s teaching assures us as we move toward center along this very reckless and in some ways abundant and extravagant path, not “storing it all up” as in the classic ascetic traditions of attaining being, but “throwing it all away,” that divine love is infinite and immediate and will always come to us if we don’t cling. This is a powerful statement, so simple and yet so radical that it needs to be ground-truthed again and again in our own lives. But more than just a path, this is also a kind of sacred alchemy. As we practice in daily life, in our acts of compassion, kindness, and self-emptying, both at the level of our doing and even more at the level of our being, something is catalyzed out of that self-emptying which is pure divine substance mirrored in our own true face. Subtle qualities of divine love essential to the well being of this planet are released through our actions and flow out into the world as miracle, healing, and hope.

    

      --Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Jesus, 73.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

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.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Go in the name of Christ Jesus to love and serve the Lord.  Thanks be to God!

------------------------------

[This is an adapted format courtesy of Martha Johnston, Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington, DC]