"Abide in me as I abide in 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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First reading & silent reflection: Reflect in silence.
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LECTIO: from John 15: 1-8
”I am the
true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He removes every branch in me that
bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more
fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.
Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself
unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the
vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit,
because apart from me you can do nothing.”
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.
The chief thing that separates us from God is the thought that
we are separated from Him...We fail to believe that we are always with God
and that He is part of every reality. The present moment, every object we see,
our inmost nature are all rooted in Him. But we hesitate to believe this
until personal experience gives us the confidence to believe in it. This
involves the gradual development of intimacy with God. God constantly speaks to
us through each other as well as from within. The interior experience of God’s
presence activates our capacity to perceive Him in everything else--in people,
in events, in nature.
--Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart
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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 Richard and Linda Hall, Contemplative Outreach of Maryland and Washington, DC]
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