Lectio Template 207

   "Their delight is in the law of the Lord."

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 1

 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, 

       nor lingered in the way of sinners,
       nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
 Their delight is in the law of the Lord, 
       and they meditate on his law day and night.
 They are like trees planted by streams of water,
   bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; 
       everything they do shall prosper.

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: 

[The] state of joyful self-abandonment is the state of the true child of God, not merely of the servant of God, but of the child. To live as a child of God does not necessarily mean a frantic moral correctness; even the nicest children sometimes misbehave, and we from time to time are absolutely certain to fall far short too, perhaps to the very end. But it will not prevent us from being children of God. The tax collector was a child of God, but the Pharisee was not. Living as a child of God does mean living in self-abandonment and joy. It involves a sort of gay detachment from the ups and downs of the world, a detachment which carries us wonderfully through all our work with its pressures, its failures, and its problems. 

--Evelyn Underhill, The Ways of the Spirit, 67.

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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]