Contemplative prayer can be described as an imagining of God’s Son, Jesus, a letting him enter fully into our consciousness so that he becomes the icon always present in the inner room of our hearts. By gazing at Jesus, walking on the earth, we give him loving attention and we “see” with our minds and hearts how he is the way to the Father. Jesus’ life and work is an uninterrupted union with and contemplation of his Father. We, as followers of Jesus, try to enter into the same disposition. We welcome the discipline of contemplation, taking time regularly to enter into the life of Jesus to contemplate the incredible bond between Jesus and the Father. And we trust that in, through, and with Jesus, we, too, may live and bask in God’s unconditional love.
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a long weekend
A long drive to Florence on Friday
Laying Denise’s dad’s ashes to rest
Sharing stories with family and close friends
A time to support each other as we mourn
A long drive back home today
There is still packing to complete
We pray for healing for Denise’s knee and my back
We pray for a good night’s sleep
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a day filled with emotions
It has been a day of introspection
It has been a day to celebrate the life of my father-in-law Roland as well as to honor my mother-in-law Jeanne
There are so many memories to reflect upon
So many stories shared by family, friends, and friends who are family
I was honored to officiate at both Jeanne and Roland’s graveside services
They welcomed me into the family and fully embraced me
For that I am eternally grateful
As life’s journey continues
Embrace each moment as a gift from God
Give your family members and friends an extra hug and tell them you love them
Life, family, and relationships are precious
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
Prayer is not introspection. It is not a scrupulous, inward-looking analysis of our own thoughts and feelings but it is a careful attentiveness to the Presence of Love personified inviting us to an encounter. Prayer is the presentation of our thoughts— reflective thoughts, as well as daydreams, and night dreams—to the One who receives them, sees them in the light of unconditional love, and responds to them with divine compassion. This context of thinking in the Presence, of conversation and dialogue with Love, is the joyful affirmation of our gentle Companion on the journey with God who knows our minds and hearts, our goodness and our beauty, our darkness and our light. The Psalmist prays the prayer for us (Psalms 139:1–3; 23–24):
O Lord, you search me and you know me, you know my resting and my rising,
you discern my purpose from afar.
You mark when I walk or lie down,
all my ways lie open to you. . . .
O search me, God, and know my heart. O test me and know my thoughts.
See that I follow not the wrong path and lead me in the path of life eternal.
Prayer is not a way of being busy with God instead of with people. In fact, it unmasks the illusion of busyness, usefulness, and indispensability. It is a way of being empty and useless in the presence of God and so of proclaiming our basic belief that all is grace and nothing is simply the result of hard work. Indeed, wasting time for God is an act of ministry, because it reminds us and our people that God is free to touch anyone regardless of our well-meant efforts. Prayer as an articulate way of being useless in the face of God brings a smile to all we do and creates humor in the midst of our occupations and preoccupations.
Thinking about my own prayer, I realize how easily I make it into a little seminar with God, during which I want to be useful by reading beautiful prayers, thinking profound thoughts, and saying impressive words. I am obviously still worried about the grade! It indeed is a hard discipline to be useless in God’s presence and to let him speak in the silence of my heart. But whenever I become a little useless I know that God is calling me to a new life beyond the boundaries of my usefulness.
Verse of the day
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you, and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?”
– Job 12:7-9
Voice of the day
As human beings, we are co-sustainers with the rest of creation to ensure the abundant life for all creation the Creator intended. And God said that is good.
– Randy Woodley, “The Fullness Thereof”
Prayer of the day
May we learn from the living things of the air, earth, and sea, co-sustaining God’s good creation.
The mystic is not somebody who says, “Look what I’ve experienced. Look what I’ve achieved.” The mystic is the one who says, “Look what love has done to me.”. . . There’s nothing left, but the being of love itself giving itself away as . . . the concreteness of who you simply are.
—James Finley, Following the Mystics through the Narrow Gate
Verse of the day
But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
– Isaiah 40:31
Voice of the day
May the God who mothers each of us be a source of life for all who long for hope.
– Emmy Kegler, “The Forgotten Mothers of the Bible”
Prayer of the day
Mother God, be our source for hope and renewal.
To say that these past few months have been “interesting” would be a significant understatement! Yet as we enter mid-May the stars appear to be aligning. In this month of May, Our Lady is smiling upon us.💖🌹
This weekend we will be able to finally say farewell and Godspeed to Denise’s dear dad Roland as we bury his ashes next to her beloved mother Jean on Saturday in Florence, Alabama. His original inurnment in December (right after Christmas) was delayed thanks to the officiant (and his sweet spouse) being hit hard by the Omicron variant of COVID.
In the meantime, we are in the midst of moving to Orange Beach and preparing to sell our house in Carrollton. Uff Dah as our Lady of Dah Northland would say! 🌹 ❄️ In the midst of the chaos there are moments of calm. We spent a lovely week with dear friends (long-time and new) on a Contemplative Retreat at Columbia Presbyterian Theological Seminary. We have also had some lovely dinners locally in Carrollton and in Orange Beach whilst meeting new friends and neighbors.
Of course, in the midst of it all, HRH Queen Stella has continued to love and entertain us with her antics 😻
So, this evening we are relaxing. We are also preparing for a busy ‘morrow. In the midst of it all, my prayer is that the lessons from our contemplative retreat and this lesson from Thomas Merton might continue to guide us through it all.
Hence monastic prayer, especially meditation and contemplative prayer, is not so much a way to find God as a way of resting in him whom we have found, who loves us, who is near to us, who comes to us to draw us to himself. — Thomas Merton (Contemplative Prayer)
Dear reader, may each one of you find that peace in the midst of the quiet which invites us to step away from the chaos into the light of God’s grace, mercy, and peace!
Maybe I have been living much too fast, too restlessly, too feverishly, forgetting to pay attention to what is happening here and now, right under my nose. Just as a whole world of beauty can be discovered in one flower, so the great grace of God can be tasted in one small moment. Just as no great travels are necessary to see the beauty of creation, so no great ecstasies are needed to discover the love of God. But you have to be still and wait so that you can realize that God is not in the earthquake, the storm, or the lightning, but in the gentle breeze with which he touches your back.
