There are only two stories of Jesus’ birth in the Gospels — Luke’s and Matthew’s. For this prayer, we will be using lectio divina (praying with scripture) with Matthew’s nativity story. When praying scripture, it is more important that you allow the scripture to speak to you than it is to intellectually understand it. There is a time and place for interpretation and historical context, but lectio divina is not about putting it all together and making sense of scripture,... Read more
Our Advent imagination prayer is getting closer to the manger! Today’s passage around the Nativity has the angels departing for heaven and the shepherds taking to the road to Bethlehem to check out this birth for themselves. As you imagine yourself part of the shepherd’s caravan, see if you can catch the emotion so close to the Nativity scene. The Practice Begin by turning your attention to the presence of God in prayer. Ask for the awareness of how God... Read more
One of the most beautiful passages in Luke’s gospel is the prophecy of Zechariah, a poem known as the Benedictus. Zechariah was a priest married to Elizabeth and in their advanced age they conceived a long awaited child — a boy who would become John the Baptist, a relative of Jesus. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel Gabriel when he said that Elizabeth would bear a child, so as a sign of his lack of faith, Zechariah was stripped of his... Read more
As we continue our Advent imagination prayer with Luke’s birth narrative, we spend more time today with the shepherds, angel and the multitude of the heavenly host. Imagination prayer has a long history. St. Ignatius of Loyola built his Spiritual Exercises — a set of meditations, reflections and practices to draw a person’s heart deeper toward Christ — on imagination prayers. He invites us to become part of the scene as our minds imagine what it might have been like in... Read more
Desire is a popular emotion in Advent. Advertisers use our superficial desires in the hope that we will want and buy things we (and our gift recipients) probably don’t need. This prayer looks at our deeper desires — the ones that come from God and inspire us to fulfill what God wants for us. This is a good prayer to use when you feel like your desires are getting out of hand. It allows you to give them over to... Read more
When Jesus begins a story with “What do you think?” we are invited to share exactly what we think about the story in scripture. The following is an illustration about what it means to be faithful. So, what do you think? The Practice Matthew 21:28-32: The Parable of the Two Sons 28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 The son answered,... Read more
Advent is a time of reflection, and one of the best ways to reflect is journaling. Paying attention to what has been, what is, and what we hope will be in the future — just as Mary pondered the mystery of what God was doing in her life, we ponder the same. It may not feel as dramatic as Mary’s experience, but it is still very important. Journaling to connect with God has a long history with Christians. Much of... Read more
Advent heralds the beginning of winter, a time when many of us seek comfort and warmth inside our homes. This prayer invites you to bundle up and go outside for a little while. It’s a great practice for people who find they need to be doing something active in order to focus on God. Mindful walking is a devotional practice in many religions. It is prayer in motion, walking calmly and confidently in God’s presence. It differs from your daily... Read more
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
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