Today, we’re praying with three verses from Luke, chapter 2, so it will be up to your imagination to create all the action here! As we pray our way through Luke’s narrative of the birth of Jesus, today we meet the shepherds who encounter an angel announcing the birth of Jesus. The Practice Begin by trusting that God is present in your imagination. Ask for the awareness to notice this presence. Read Luke 2:8-11. In that region there were shepherds living... Read more
Here’s a prayer for busy people in the busy season of Advent. It’s easy, portable and has a beautiful history. Francis of Assisi (13th Century) never set out to found an order. He simply wanted to restore an old church in his town and to live as Jesus did — as a wandering preacher with as few material possessions as possible. Amazingly, people began to emulate Francis and the “Order of Friars Minor,” which we now call the Franciscans, was created.... Read more
While everything around us screams “holly, jolly Christmas,” this Advent season is not joyful for everyone. Many of our friends and family seek healing of the mind, body and spirit. The best way we can help is to offer healing prayer for them. There is no one way to pray for healing. I like this prayer because it does not require that we know much of anything at all about any particular situation we are praying for. If you’ve ever... Read more
Want to give a really meaningful gift to someone this Christmas? Pray for them. You don’t have to tell them you are doing it, and you don’t have to forgo giving them a material gift if you really want to do that. Begin to think of intercessory prayer (praying for others) as part of your collection of spiritual gifts to impart to the world. This particular form of intercessory prayer is adapted from Marjorie Thompson’s best seller Soul Feast. It’s... Read more
You’ve probably heard people say “your body has wisdom.” Maybe you’ve wondered how to tap into that wisdom before the body gets cranky and pitches a pain fit. Let’s try focusing. Focusing prayer is a great way to step back from holiday stress this Advent. This prayer allows your body to show you what optimal health feels like. The practice of focusing comes from the work of psychologist and philosophy professor Eugene Gendlin and has been popularized in Christian spirituality... Read more
Advent invites us to embrace the mystery of incarnation — God’s action of dwelling in and among us. Because so much of our faith involves mystery, it can be helpful to acknowledge that and sit with it, question it, even when it is uncomfortable. We can pray with this holy discomfort. We can pray our questions. For this practice I have collected a series of questions for you to choose from. Or you may have one of your own ready... Read more
This Advent, why not keep your eyes open for evidence of God’s love and action in the world? Let’s try the Daily Examen. The motto Jesuits live by is “finding God in all things,” and the way to do that is to examine your own daily life for the activity of the Spirit. Ignatius of Loyola — founder of the Jesuit order of the Catholic church — gave this prayer to his community and commanded them to do it every... Read more
We began the Advent meditations with the gospel of Luke’s version of the flight of Mary and Joseph from their home while Mary was pregnant. Today we’ll re-enter this story as the time comes for Mary to give birth. Once again, use your imagination to enter the scene. It’s a short passage, so spend time not so much on the words but on the visual scene you create in your mind. The Practice Begin by asking God to be present... Read more
Prayer doesn’t have to be all that wordy. Early Christians used to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus,” to express their deep longing for Jesus to return and be among them in physical reality. This practice, the Prayer of the Heart, is designed to help us create those prayers that are as close to us as our very breath. The beauty of this prayer is the way it stays with you all day, all week, throughout Advent, or even a lifetime if... Read more
As we focus this Advent on the coming of Jesus, why not pray one of the most famous prayers in the history of Christianity — the Jesus Prayer? You will find a version of this prayer in the Gospel of Luke’s story of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The tax collector is praised by Jesus for humbling himself in prayer, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Christians later expanded the prayer to “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of... Read more
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