We have been using the spiritual exercise of Lectio Divina as a means of spiritual growth and development and we have come to our fourth and final gathering. As we mentioned, the focus has not been on scripture study, but on a dialogue with the Holy Spirit. This dialogue is grounded in the reality of the indwelling presence of God within each one of us, which we acknowledge as the immanence of God. Our faith also asserts the transcendence of God. In the practice of Lectio Divina we gradually become attuned to an ongoing dialogue with the Spirit of God alive in scripture and alive within us. In this dialogue, God’s deep personal, parental love for us is recognized and manifested both interiorly and in our external behavior patterns.

We mentioned last week that as we become at home in Lectio Divina, we find ourselves experiencing both interior healing as well interior freedom or a kind of inner clarity expanding within us. That often involves, as we mentioned last week, the recalling, healing, reordering and restoration of memories. God shows us a different more comprehensive way to understand the memories. We are given the grace to slowly view and know each person involved in that memory, as God sees them and knows them in both moments of beauty and joy and in personal pain and sorrow. In the case of painful memories, often the same memory will arise time after time, particularly if there is a deep need for healing. Each time the memory arises, a fuller transformation of our consciousness will occur, bringing with it a diminishment of our interior pain as we experience an increased capacity for remembering the situation with mercy and compassion for all involved. Hence, we receive a healing and transformation of our soul that involves an inner expansion and clarity of consciousness. We are moving more fully into a Christ consciousness, which is the fulfillment of our hearts deepest longing. 

We hope this brief encounter with the spiritual exercise of Lectio Divina has enlivened your interest in the age-old church tradition of meditation and contemplation and its very important place in our spiritual growth and development.

Lectio Divina Format: For Our Zoom Gathering Thursday January 28^th at 7 p.m.

Opening Prayer: For Quiet Confidence 

“O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”^[1]  

Brief Musical Interlude 

Scripture Reading:  Mark 6:30-32

³⁰ The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. ³¹ He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. ³² And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.^[2]

Observation: Listening to the Reading of the Word (Lectio)

As we listen to the word read for the first time, we are invited to be aware of any word or phrase that catches our attention. The key here is to listen with the soul center rather than with the mind. After a minute of silence, we will be invited to share it with the group.

Application: Reflecting on the Word (Meditatio)

As we listen to the word read for a second time, we are invited to be aware of any reflection or thought that comes to mind. Now we use the combination of the word which God used to stir our soul and thoughts that seem connected to it. After five minutes of silence, we will be invited to share our experience with the group.

Deeper Reflection: Resting in the Word (Contemplatio) 

As we listen to the word read for a third time, we are invited just to sit with it in silence for five minutes. We let our thoughts become simpler and quieter. We become aware beyond its words, communing with the Spirit who speaks through it. In the silence of our hearts, we simply rest in the Spirit.

Prayer: Responding to the Word (Oratio) 

The leader now invites us to be aware of any prayer that rises up within us from our hearts that expresses what we are experiencing in and through this time of meditation. After a minute of silence, we will be invited to express it aloud.

Yielding: Daily Practice

Let the material God has provided rise up into your consciousness as you go about your daily living this week. Discern any slight changes that may occur in your thoughts and behavior because God has and is touching the quality of your consciousness through a new depth of awareness. If so inclined, journal on this.

Closing: The Lord’s Prayer^[3]

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^[1] Prayers for Family and Personal Life, #59. The Book of Common Prayer. New-York: T. Whittaker, 1875, 832.

^[2] Mark 6:30-32, General editor: Alexander Jones. The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.

^[3] Matthew 6:10-13,  The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.

Beloved seekers of God’s life with us and in us, last week we shared how the practice of yielding to the insights that come to us in times of Lectio Divina can serve as a blessing. Today we continue that reflection with an emphasis on the gift of healing inherent in this spiritual practice.  We come open to our time of prayer, with a longing to know more fully that life of God that is our true life, found within the life we know or currently experience. This life of God, which is our true life, must be opened both from the outside, through our Christian faith life, as well as, interiorly by our willingness to yield to deep, prayer-centered, intimacy with God. 

As we continue to feel more comfortable with the practice of Lectio Divina, we can trust God is healing and freeing our hearts and minds from their tangled burdens. We become increasingly comfortable releasing our memory, our understanding and our entire will to God’s care. We affirm that our God of mercy and compassion is offering a path of spiritual healing and inner clarity. We become assured that we are experiencing interior spiritual expansion that brings with it healing and freedom. 

At first, we may experience the healing as moments of increased peace and well-being. As we persist in contemplative living practices, such as Lectio Divina, we note that the healing will sometimes involve a process whereby memories hidden deep within us become drawn to the surface of our consciousness. When this happens, we often at first feel agitated and/or uncomfortable. Memory has an important role in forming our identity. If there is pain in the memories, finding God’s presence in these memories can heal and free our self-understanding and help us to offer ourselves and others a more loving embrace. In her book, Gold in Your Memories, Macrina Wiederkehr suggests that memories can be like “…beads of life gathered together to create a beautiful necklace of experience.”^[1] God’s compassionate, loving, presence can transform painful memories into experiences of deep compassionate love. God reorders our understanding of ourselves, others and events in a way that offers peace: “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, (and) will guard…(our) hearts and…minds in Christ Jesus.”^[2]

Next week, we will further discuss the gifts of healing, restoration and freedom that are inherent in the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina.

Lectio Divina Format: For Our Zoom Gathering Thursday January 21^st at 7 p.m.

Opening Prayer: For Quiet Confidence 

“O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thouart God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”^[3]  

Brief Musical Interlude 

Scripture Reading:  Isaiah 45:7-8

I am Yahweh, unrivaled,

I form the light and create the dark.

I make good fortune and create calamity,

It is I, Yahweh, who do all this.

Send victory like dew, you heavens, 

and let the clouds rain it down.

Let the earth open

for salvation to spring up. 

Let deliverance, too, bud forth

which I, Yahweh, shall create.^[4]

Observation: Listening to the Reading of the Word (Lectio)

As we listen to the word read for the first time, we are invited to be aware of any word or phrase that catches our attention. The key here is to listen with the soul center rather than with the mind. After a minute of silence, we will be invited to share it with the group.

Application: Reflecting on the Word (Meditatio)

As we listen to the word read for a second time, we are invited to be aware of any reflection or thought that comes to mind. Now we use the combination of the word which God used to stir our soul and thoughts that seem connected to it. After five minutes of silence, we will be invited to share our experience with the group.

Deeper Reflection: Resting in the Word (Contemplatio) 

As we listen to the word read for a third time, we are invited just to sit with it in silence for five minutes. We let our thoughts become simpler and quieter. We become aware beyond its words, communing with the Spirit who speaks through it. In the silence of our hearts, we simply rest in the Spirit.

Prayer: Responding to the Word (Oratio)

The leader now invites us to be aware of any prayer that rises up within us from our hearts that expresses what we are experiencing in and through this time of meditation. After a minute of silence, we will be invited to express it aloud.

Yielding: Daily Practice

Let the material God has provided rise up into your consciousness as you go about your daily living this week. Discern any slight changes that may occur in your thoughts and behavior because God has and is touching the quality of your consciousness through a new depth of awareness. If so inclined, journal on this.

Closing: The Lord’s Prayer ^[5]

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^[1] Wiederkehr, Macrina. Gold in Your Memories. (Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 1988), 16, “necklace of experience” refers to a poem “The Beads of Life” by Nancy Wood.

^[2] Philippians 4:7, General editor: Alexander Jones. The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.

^[3] Prayers for Family and Personal Life, #59. (1875). The Book of Common Prayer: New-York: T. Whittaker, 832.

^[4] Isaiah 45:7-8, The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.

^[5] Matthew 6:10-13, The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.

Beloved seekers of God, today we consider the process of yielding and its place in contemplative living and then David will lead us in the practice of Lectio Divina on selection of Psalm 18 from today’s Evening Prayer. 

First, a few thoughts on contemplative living. Aspects of contemplative living are familiar to all sincere Christians. We are all drawn by our faith to desire ever-fuller experiences of spiritual union in, through and with Christ Jesus. Those of us called to a commitment to contemplative living are drawn into this way of life by God for many different reasons. This will be discussed at another time. If you are drawn to this ministry, you are called to a way of life that involves daily periods of prayer, meditation and contemplation, as opened to us through many and varied forms. One form could involve a day by day yielding to the insights that come to us in Lectio Divina. A spiritual practice could be taking time to slow down, become centered and yield yourself to a gentle opening of your soul, where you recall experiences and insights that came in your lectio practice. In doing this we enter ‘a blessing of our soul’ where we experience and/or affirm God’s loving compassionate dialogue with each one of us, personally, right where we are.  Contemplative living is not a matter of having extraordinary mystical experiences, although they may occur. Contemplative living is about ordering your patterns of living so as to maximize your ability to become opened to the extraordinary in the ordinary. 

Lectio Divina Format: For Our Zoom Gathering Thursday January 14^th at 7 p.m.

Opening Prayer: For Quiet Confidence 

“O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thouart God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”^[1]  

Brief Musical Interlude 

Scripture Reading:  Psalm 18:31-33

This God, his way is blameless; the word of Yahweh is without dross. He it is who is the shield of all who take shelter in him. Who else is God but Yahweh, Who else a rock save our God? This God who girds me with strength and makes my way without blame, Who makes my feet like the hind’s and holds me from falling on the heights.^[2]

Observation: Listening to the Reading of the Word (Lectio)

As we listen to the word read for the first time, we are invited to be aware of any word or phrase that catches our attention. The key here is to listen with the soul center rather than with the mind. After a minute of silence, we will be invited to share it with the group.

Application: Reflecting on the Word (Meditatio)

As we listen to the word read for a second time, we are invited to be aware of any reflection or thought that comes to mind. Now we use the combination of the word which God used to stir our soul and thoughts that seem connected to it. After five minutes of silence, we will be invited to share our experience with the group.

Deeper Reflection: Resting in the Word (Contemplatio) 

As we listen to the word read for a third time, we are invited just to sit with it in silence for five minutes. We let our thoughts become simpler and quieter. We become aware beyond its words, communing with the Spirit who speaks through it. In the silence of our hearts, we simply rest in the Spirit.

Prayer: Responding to the Word (Oratio) 

The leader now invites us to be aware of any prayer that rises up within us from our hearts that expresses what we are experiencing in and through this time of meditation. After a minute of silence, we will be invited to express it aloud.

Yielding: Daily Practice

Let the material God has provided rise up into your consciousness as you go about your daily living this week. Discern any slight changes that may occur in your thoughts and behavior because God has and is touching the quality of your consciousness through a new depth of awareness. If so inclined, journal on this.

Closing: The Lord’s Prayer ^[3]

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^[1] Prayers for Family and Personal Life, #59. The Book of Common Prayer. New-York: T. Whittaker, 1875, 832.

^[2 Psalm 18:31-33, General editor: Alexander Jones. The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.

^[3] Matthew 6:10-13, The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.

Beloved seekers of God, from past blogs we remember that the periods of silence are understood in a larger way than simply a lack of audible noise. Whenever emptiness—what seems like empty space or absence of sound—becomes its own kind of fullness, with its own kind of sweet voice, in that we have just experienced sacred silence. The God given gift of Lectio Divina opens for each one of us the gift of God’s personal love hidden in the gift of our lives.

Important points to keep in mind if Lectio Divina is new to you:

• This is not a Bible study. It is a spiritual exercise, which helps us learn how to encounter and then dialogue with the Spirit of God. 

• In this dialogue, the Spirit will gradually guide each of us interiorly and then exteriorly in concrete actions all bringing us into greater intimacy with God. We will find ourselves slowly opening to an interior freedom that brings with it the peace that passes all understanding.

• As we get used to the dynamics of this discipline, we find a similar experience of this dialogue with the Spirit arising naturally in many other places, for example: in church during liturgy, during personal prayer, during the praying of the Daily Office, while out during restful walks in nature, while listening to a lovely piece of music, while quietly gardening or knitting or viewing artwork or photography, etc. 

• Sometimes in practicing Lectio we will feel restless or even uncomfortable. It happens to everyone at one time or another. It may be due to a lack of familiarity with silence or with this type of spiritual practice and/or it might be part of the personal experience of spiritual healing. We will discuss the dynamics of this experience of spiritual healing at a later time.

• We all come to this gathering with some degree of distraction, which is created by the busyness of our everyday lives. For this reason, after greeting each other, the opening prayer will be read and we will have a brief musical interlude. This music helps us let go of our everyday consciousness and facilitates our opening, so as to better receive and interact with the Spirit of God.

• The last thing we will do before closing is to discuss as a group the process of yielding that each one of us will use during the upcoming week.

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

Lectio Divina Format: For Our Zoom Gathering Thursday January 7^th at 7 p.m.

Opening Prayer: For Quiet Confidence 

“O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”^[1]  

Brief Musical Interlude 

Scripture Reading: Psalm 114:1-4

Alleluiah!
When Israel came out of Egypt,
    the House of Jacob from a foreign nation,

Judah became His sanctuary
    and Israel His dominion.

The sea fled at the sight,
    The Jordan stopped flowing,

The mountains skipped like rams,
    and like lambs, the hills.^[2]

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Observation: Listening to the Reading of the Word (Lectio)

As we listen to the word read for the first time, we are invited to be aware of any word or phrase that catches our attention. The key here is to listen with the soul center rather than with the mind. After a minute of silence, we will be invited to share it with the group.

Application: Reflecting on the Word (Meditatio)

As we listen to the word read for a second time, we are invited to be aware of any reflection or thought that comes to mind. Now we use the combination of the word, which God used to stir our soul and the thoughts that seem connected to it. After five minutes of silence, we will be invited to share our experience with the group.

Deeper Reflection: Resting in the Word (Contemplatio) 

As we listen to the word read for a third time, we are invited just to sit with it in silence for ten minutes. We let our thoughts become simpler and quieter. We become aware beyond its words, communing with the Spirit who speaks through it. In the silence of our hearts, we simply rest in the Spirit.

Prayer: Responding to the Word (Oratio) 

The leader now invites us to be aware of any prayer that rises up within us from our hearts that expresses what we are experiencing in and through this time of meditation. After a short silence, we will be invited to express it aloud.

Closing: The Lord’s Prayer^[3]

Yielding: Daily Practice

Let the material God has provided rise up into your consciousness as you go about your daily living this week. Discern any slight changes that may occur in your thoughts and behavior because God has and is touching the quality of your consciousness through a new depth of awareness. If so inclined, journal on this.

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^[1] Prayers for Family and Personal Life, #59. The Book of Common Prayer. New-York: T. Whittaker, 1875, 832.

^[2] Psalm 114;1-4, General editor: Alexander Jones. The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.

^[3] Matthew 6:10-13, The Jerusalem Bible. Doubleday, 1966.

Beloved seekers of God we have spent three blogs talking about dynamics involved in contemplative prayer. It has been our hope that this has led you to be curious about the forms used in praying the scriptures. Today we present you with an example of the form of Lectio Divina that we will be using as we start our sharing on Thursday January 7, 2021. This form has been adapted from the original monastic form, as we have found it to be more compatible with everyday domestic life.

Lectio Divina Format:

Scripture Reading, Observation, Meditation, Contemplation, Personal Prayer, Yielding

(Often an opening and a closing prayer are included in the practice.)

Opening Prayer: For Quiet Confidence

“O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thouart God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”^[1]

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 34:14

“I shall feed them in good pasturage; the high mountains of Israel will be their grazing ground. There they will rest in good grazing ground; they will browse in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel.”^[2]

Observation: Listening to the Reading of the Word (Lectio)

As we listen to the word read for the first time, we are invited to be aware of any word or phrase that catches our attention. The key here is to listen with the soul center rather than with the mind After a minute of silence, we will be invited to share it with the group.

Meditation: Reflecting on the Word (Meditatio)

As we listen to the word read for a second time, we are invited to be aware of any reflection or thought that comes to mind. Now we use the combination of the word which God used to stir our soul and thoughts that seem connected to it. After five minutes of silence, we will be invited to share our experience with the group.

Contemplation: Resting in the Word (Contemplatio) 

As we listen to the word read for a third time, we are invited just to sit with it in silence for ten minutes. We let our thoughts become simpler and quieter. We become aware beyond its words, communing with the Spirit who speaks through it. In the silence of our hearts, we simply rest in the Spirit.

Personal Prayer: Responding to the Word (Oratio) 

The leader now invites us to be aware of any prayer that rises up within us from our hearts that expresses what we are experiencing in and through this time of meditation. After a short silence, we will be invited to express it aloud.

Closing: The Lord’s Prayer^[3]

Yielding: Daily Practice

Let the material God has provided rise up into your consciousness as you go about your daily living this week. Discern any slight changes that may occur in your thoughts and behavior because God has and is touching the quality of your consciousness through a new depth of awareness. If so inclined, journal on this.

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

From past blogs we remember that the periods of silence are understood in a larger way than simply a lack of audible noise. Whenever emptiness—what seems like empty space or absence of sound—becomes its own kind of fullness, with its own kind of sweet voice, in that we have just experienced sacred silence. The God given gift of Lectio Divina opens for each one of us the gift of God’s personal love hidden in the gift of our lives.

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

Below is an example of the process of Lectio Divina as experienced by David Dumont: 

Scripture Reading:

Ezekiel 34:14 

Observation:

The phrase, “feeding on good pastures,” resonated in my soul center.

Meditation: 

I thought about when we lived on a farm. Keeping good pastures was very important to our animals. Without good pasture, their health would quickly deteriorate. I experience that God is drawing me into a rich pattern of contemplative prayer and here the Lord feeds me with good pastures spiritually, and without that I cannot live. 

Contemplation:

I am becoming more and more aware of my hunger for God and my need for intimacy with God. As I continue in silence, I move into a peaceful inner space.

Personal Prayer: 

Dear God, I am so deeply grateful to find you with me, and with all of us. I am humbled by experiencing this taste of your great personal love for me. Amen.

Yielding:

Reflecting on this, day by day through the week, helps me to want to be sure that I stay faithful to my daily prayer and my way of life as a lay contemplative.

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

We look forward to sharing this form of prayer with you at the Christ Episcopal Church Zoom gathering at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday January 7, 2021. Father Robert Baker will help facilitate the prayer practice and will provide the Zoom link. We will provide the format, prayers and Scripture on our next post.

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^[1] Prayers for Family and Personal Life, #59. The Book of Common Prayer. New-York: T. Whittaker, 1875, 832.

^[2] Ezekiel 34:14, General editor: Alexander Jones. The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.

^[3] Matthew 6: 10-13, The Jerusalem Bible. Doubleday, 1966.

Beloved seekers of God, this week we continue opening our hearts and minds to the mystery of how spiritual reading can expand our awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit with us and within us. In the practice of Lectio Divina only a small amount of scripture is read. The reading of the scripture itself is understood as prayer. In our Christian tradition the Word of God has energy or power. By faith we accept that the words of the living God are at work within us. That power inherent in the Word of God awakens our hearts to the truth the words express. It is that truth that has the power to work within us confronting us where we are, dialoguing within us and then freeing us to live more fully in union with Christ Jesus.

Let us look at some basic terms used in the Christian contemplative tradition such as discursive meditation and active and passive contemplation. We mentioned above spiritual reading or Lectio Divina. The prayer integral to Lectio Divina can move the one praying into discursive meditation. Here, as mentioned above, the energy of God in the words of scripture touches our soul and sets up a life-giving dialogue within us, a dialogue with the spirit. This dialogue may turn to a deeper level, where the one in prayer may find themselves moving into an open place of inner tranquility, into a peace that passes all understanding. In this one begins to experience contemplation. Contemplation can be active or passive. Passive contemplation is pure gifts of God grace where through no act of will or effort we enter this experience of union with God, which may be of many and varied forms. Active contemplation involves an action on our part where we place ourselves in an attitude or pattern of spiritual practice, which will make us more open to becoming receptive to experiencing passive contemplation.

As we grow more comfortable with the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina it becomes easier to open our hearts and commence our personal dialogue with the spirit. Gradually, we come to move more often into experiences of active and passive meditation. Ultimately, we are experiencing a metamorphosis of consciousness, an ever-growing inner clarity out of which we live and move. This clarity of being is our life in union with Christ Jesus, which is the fulfillment of our heart’s yearning and our life’s greatest fulfillment of meaning.

Hello again beloved friends and children of God!

Today we continue opening together another inquiry into the path of contemplative living. We will also expand on our current theme of Lectio Divina. Those who are called to a Christian contemplative way of life experience that God has engaged them in a deep interior dance of self-discovery of God with us and within us. In times of contemplative prayer, we enter into an interior dialogue with the Spirit of God, where slowly over time we undergo a metamorphosis of consciousness, which leads us to an ever-greater interior clarity. That inner clarity expresses itself, exteriorly, as God’s love in Christ Jesus ministering to the world moment to moment, right where we are.

This process of metamorphosis is slow and takes a concentrated effort, which lasts our entire life. In this metamorphosis our life is renewed, transformed by union with Jesus Christ. All deeply committed Christians discover this truth to some extent; how fully and richly depends on how willing we are to yield to this reality. As lay contemplatives, in our case as Benedictine Oblates, we choose, daily, to maintain an openness to this metamorphosis through a variety of practices. All the practices involve periods of time set aside for reflection, prayer, meditation and contemplation, which involve movement into this deep interior dance with the Spirit of God.  

Since the pandemic, we have joined in Zoom and Facebook times of prayer with both Fr. Robert Baker’s daily evening prayers^[1] at Christ Episcopal Church in Bradenton, FL^[2] and Rev. Carol Fleming’s Wednesday evening prayers^[3] at Parrish Episcopal Church in Parrish, FL. Both are different in content and structure, but both offer a time to be embraced into God’s love. Rev. Carol’s evening prayer uses the Celtic Benediction by John Philip Newell.^[4] She incorporates these prayers in PowerPoint Presentations in which she couples the prayers with beautiful artistic images, including lovely natural scenes. She changes the slides slowly, making an effort to create space for personal and communal reflection between each slide. Both of these are examples of places to turn to for spiritual support and renewal, particularly during the challenges of this time.

Lectio Divina, Latin for divine reading, is an ancient monastic method for the reading and praying of Scripture, which has become popular in recent times. For many years, as a family and with church groups, we have used Lectio Divina as an extremely effective method or practice for entering into this dialogue with the Spirit of God. Our faith tells us that Scripture, the Word of God is alive and active, a dynamic reality of truth, grace and love. The Word of God has the power to awaken, affirm, heal and transform our inner life and our outward actions. 

In January, we will be sharing Lectio Divina via Zoom with Fr. Robert and Christ Episcopal Church in Bradenton, FL.  We will be using a form of Lectio Divina that is popular in our contemporary setting. It will involve the reading of a brief passage of Scripture, a period of silence, a time for reflection and then brief sharing. This process will be repeated three times. The brevity of the reading of Scripture, it’s repetition, brief reflective requests and silence are purposely developed to move those praying inward and into tasting their personal dance of inner depth with the Spirit of God. What our hearts long for most is this direct realization of our oneness with God. The simplicity of words and the simplicity of the reflective tasks are integral to the recognition of God’s personal dialogue of affirming and transforming love waiting to engage us. 

Next week we will continue to unfold the mystery of how Lectio Divina can open us to this great gift of awareness of our union with God and with each other.

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^[1] https://www.facebook.com/ChristChurchBradenton

^[2] https://christchurchswfla.org/

^[3] https://www.facebook.com/parrishepiscopal/

^[4] https://parrishepiscopalchurch.org/

Greetings to our new friends and our old friends!

Beloved seekers of God’s life in you and with you. This blog is is dedicated to the life-giving, bountiful, exhilarating and yes often mundane and grueling experience of Christian contemplative living, as experienced primarily by our family over the past fifty plus years. We would describe this journey as one of being called by the incredible love of The Divine into the depths of our being. Here we share in a dialogue with the Spirit of God, a dynamic interchange of energy which is beyond words. In this we are offered the possibility of a transformation of our interior knowing, which leads to a transformation of consciousness. In this dynamic dance, we are offered the Truth about ourselves and about all of creation. This Truth is both personal and universal and incarnates within us, changing the way we physically encounter the world.

Throughout this fifty-year journey, one experience is ultimate for each member of our family. That is the experience of a transformation of consciousness that hinges on the manner in which Christ Jesus has led us and is still leading us out of the heavy web of lies that infuses our lives and into an ever-growing interior clarity that might well be described as a spiritual experience of living water. This place of living water and the journey moving forward into this lived reality has involved and still does contain daily periods of sabbath space, a sabbath rest. In these times we are called to enter into a deep place of holy beauty where prayer, praise, mercy and compassion warms, softens and expands within us offering the assurance of the blessedness of life in God. This is a sabbath space, an encounter with the breath of God, offering us the possibility of transformation through contemplative practice.

It is during this holy, love and joy-filled season of Advent that we commence our sharing. A perfect time to begin reflection on contemplative living, particularly as it is experienced in the midst of family life. Mary the mother of Jesus, the great mystic, invites us to do as she did and ponder in our hearts the mystery of God with us and within us. In our evening prayer, we pray the words of the Magnificat, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit exults in God my Savior; because he has looked upon his lowly handmaid. Yes, from this day forward all generations will call me blessed, for the Almighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name, and his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.”^[1] Like Mary, we find God as the ultimate source of our life. We come to know ourselves also as the bearers of God’s life into the world and the meaning that truth holds for our life, day by day, moment by moment. 

The gift of the contemplative life is offered to each one of us, as each one of us is the bearer of Christ’s life in and to the world. We are called to recognize within and around us the gracious light and life of Christ.  We are all offered the wonderous opportunity of unwrapping within us this gift of God’s life. This Advent Season may we become more aware of God within each one of us, living out of us in the moments we experience: moments of joy, of tender love, of delight and of deep holiness. So often in this event-filled time of year, the true gift of God’s life in us gets obscured by the busyness of the season. The gift of contemplation opens us to know the reality of God with us and living through us. It is the gift within the gift, which brings with it the peace that passes all understanding.

The sabbath space, we share as a family and also individually, is that time dedicated to sacred stillness. This inner sacred stillness has a powerful, yet tender and compassionate voice of its own. It is that voice that leads us into life-giving rest in God. There are countless daily practices, which can lead us into this divine dance. One of the daily spiritual exercises, practiced over the years by our family as a part of our sabbath space, has been Lectio Divina. In this phase of our blog, each week we will open to you the sacred wonder of this gift of holy reading, holy seeing and holy living. We share with you how this form of sabbath space opens us to God’s presence, untangling us from those lies that have interiorly bound us and have kept us from fully living out our true inheritance as children of God. 

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^[1] Luke 1:46-50, General editor: Alexander Jones. The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.