Lectio Template 166

 "Where can I flee from your presence?"

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 Psalm 139: 1-11

1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
           you know my sitting down and my rising up;
           you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
           and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
           but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4 You press upon me behind and before *
           and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
           it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
           where can I flee from your presence?
7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
           if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning *
           and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9 Even there your hand will lead me *
           and your right hand hold me fast.
10 If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, *
           and the light around me turn to night,”
11 Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day; *
           darkness and light to you are both alike.

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: 

Prayer is the longing of the human heart for God. It is a yearning and desire for relationship with God, and it is God’s attention to our desire: God-in-communion with us. The great spiritual writer Augustine of Hippo [354–430] captured the longing of the human heart in the beginning of his Confessions: “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” We long for God because we are created by God, and this longing is both the source of our hope in God and the very thing we resist. Prayer is an awakening to the fact that the fulfillment of my life lies in God.

 God delights in creation and loves each of us with a personal love. Prayer, therefore, is God’s desire to breathe in me, to be the spirit of my life, to draw me into the fullness of life. When I pray—when I breathe with God—I become part of the intimacy of God’s life. The Franciscan theologian, Saint Bonaventure[c. 1217–1274], wrote in his Soliloquy, “[God] is the One who is closer to you than you are to yourself.” Prayer is recognizing the intimate in-dwelling of God in our lives, the One who remains faithful in love even when the world around us may fall apart. . . 

  --Ilia Delio

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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]