Dé Máirt 24 Meitheamh •The Nativity of St John the Baptist
Láthair Dé
“Éistigí! bíodh a fhios agaibh gur mise is Dia ann ‘
(Salm 46:10)
A Thiarna, go dtreoraí do Spiorad mé
do láithreacht grámhar a lorg níos mó agus níos mó.
Mar is ann a bhfaighim sólás agus sos ó fhothragadh an tsaoil.
Saoirse
Tá an cumas ag gach rud grá agus saol níos iomláine a ghineadh ionam,
ach is minic a bhíonn mo mhianta socraithe, gafa, ag bréag chomhlíonadh.
Iarraim go gcumadh tusa, a Dhia, trí mo shaoirse, mo mhianta
i séis bheoga, ghrámhar saibhir i chéile, de réir Do thola.
Comhfhios
Agus fios agam go bhfuil grá ag Dia dom gan choinníoll,
Is féidir liom a bheith macánta faoi conas atá mé.
Conas a bhí an lá seo agus conas a mhothaím anois?
Roinnim mo mhothúcháin go hoscailte leis an Tiarna.
Briathar Dé
Luke 1:57-66,80 NRSVue
57Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” 61They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” 62Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.
80The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.
Inspioráid
Is de bhunadh Eabhraise an t-ainm 'Eoin' agus ciallaíonn sé 'tá Dia trócaireach'. D'aithin Eilís agus Zachairias araon go raibh Dia trócaireach leo i ndáiríre. Tá ár nDia trócaireach i gcónaí dúinn go léir, ag tabhairt grá síoraí dúinn.
Bhí misean speisialta ó Dhia ag Eoin Baiste, agus mar sin léimid “bhí lámh an Tiarna leis”, rud a chiallaíonn gur tugadh dó na grásta uile a bhí ag teastáil uaidh dá mhisean. Tá misean ó Dhia ag gach duine againn freisin atá uathúil dúinn féin, agus tabharfar dúinn na grásta uile a theastaíonn uainn freisin. Chuir an Pápa Proinsias i gcuimhne dúinn gur misinéirí muid uile.
Comhrá
Uaireanta ní fheadar cad a déarfainn dá mbuailfinn leat go pearsanta, a Thiarna.
Sílim go mb’fhéidir go ndéarfainn “Go raibh maith agat, a Thiarna” as a bheith ann dom i gcónaí.
Tá a fhios agam go cinnte go raibh amanna ann nuair a d’iompair tú mé, a Thiarna,
nuair is trí do neart a d’éirigh liom teacht tríd na hamanna dorcha i mo shaol.
Conclúid
I thank God for these few moments we have spent alone together and for any insights I may have been given concerning the text.
Áiméan
Thank you for praying with Sacred Space today.
Presence Guide
What is it?
Becoming present through connecting with your breath, body, sounds, and to whatever is going on in the present moment, in order to centre yourself for this time of prayer.
Practice:
Awareness of the Presence of God
If someone asked you to give them another word for ‘God’, you could use the word ‘Presence’, for that is what God is. When Moses asked Yahweh his name, Yahweh replied, ‘I am who am’ and this means ‘I am present’. God is really saying, ‘I shall be there for you.’ God is intimately present to everything, and especially to us. Jesus’s name is Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us’. Matthew’s Gospel ends with the marvellous statement: Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.
(from Finding God in All Things by Brian Grogan SJ)
Body Exercise
Sit in your chair, upright but comfortable, with your back supported. Let your body relax (without slouching), with your feet on the floor in front of you and your hands at rest on your thighs or joined in your lap.
Close your eyes, or fix them on some point in front of you. Now let your whole attention focus on what you can feel in your body. You may start at your feet and work upwards, letting your attention dwell, perhaps only for a few seconds, on whatever part of the body you can feel, shifting attention from one part of the body to the other, although the longer you can hold attention on one part, the better. Your attention is on what you are feeling, not on thoughts about feeling. If you are uncomfortable, or itch or want to move position, just acknowledge the discomfort, assure yourself that it is alright and, without moving, continue to focus attention on what you can feel in the body.
The mind rarely leaves us long in peace to do this, but begins to demand attention with comments and questions: This is a waste of valuable time. What has this to do with prayer? What is the point of it? Deal with the questions and comments as you dealt with the itch; acknowledge them without judgement, then return to feeling the body.
You can, if you like, move into more explicit prayer by repeating to yourself St Paul’s phrase, In him I live, and move, and have my being.
(adapted from God of Surprises by Gerry W Hughes SJ)
Breathing Exercise
This exercise involves concentrating all your attention on the physical feelings of breathing in and breathing out, without deliberately changing the rhythm of your breathing.
Focus attention on feeling the cold air entering your nostrils and the warm air when you exhale. At first you may become self-conscious about your breathing and find it becomes irregular, but this does not, as a rule, continue. If it were to do so, and you find yourself becoming breathless, then this exercise is not for you at present.
Most people find that on doing this exercise the pattern of their breathing changes, the breath becoming deeper and slower, and they begin to feel drowsy. In itself, it is a very good relaxation exercise, but if you care to use it for more explicit prayer, then let the inbreathing express all that you long for in life, however impossible it may seem in practice, and let the out-breath express your surrender of everything to God, all of your life with its worries, sins, guilt and regrets.
It is important to do this without self-judgement, whether of approval or disapproval. Keep your attention fixed on your desire to hand over all these worries about yourself, and do not clutch at them as if they were a treasured possession.
(adapted from God of Surprises by Gerry W Hughes SJ)
Listening Exercise
Sit in your chair, upright but comfortable, with your back supported.
Now just notice the sounds that you can hear, sounds far away. Just hear them, don’t even try to name them….
Notice fainter sounds, then sounds which are nearer. Just listen, become aware of them….
And the sound of your own breath and your own heartbeat, faint, but your own rhythm of life….
And the sound of silence in your place of prayer, the silence within yourself….
Listen like this for a few minutes.
(adapted from Praying in Lent by Donal Neary SJ)
Freedom Guide
What is it?
This is about recognising the gift of free will given us by God, and offering this gift back to Him, so that we can align our will to that of God’s will for us, and to be open to His will during our prayer.
Practice:
Praying for freedom
This prayer helps us to put ourselves at God’s disposal. Saint Ignatius describes this ‘Preparatory prayer’ as asking for ‘the grace that all my intentions, actions and operations may be directed purely to the praise and service of the Divine Majesty.’ (The Spiritual Exercises, no. 46) You might try these words:
Lord, I so wish to prepare well for this time.
I so want to make all of me ready and attentive and available to you.
Please help me to clarify and purify my intentions.
I have so many contradictory desires.
I get preoccupied with things that don’t really matter or last.
I know that if I give you my heart,
whatever I do will follow my new heart.
In all that I am today, all that I try to do,
all my encounters, reflections – even the frustrations and failings
and especially in this time of prayer,
in all of this, may I place my life in your hands.
Lord, I am yours. Make of me what you will. Amen.
Consciousness Guide
What is it?
This is similar to the Examen prayer that is part of the Ignatian tradition, and involves looking back over the past 24 hours, to see where God has been working in your life. We can look at moments of both “consolation”, where we felt God’s love, grace and mercy, and also at moments of “desolation” where we may not have experienced God’s presence, or may have turned away from God and from love in some way, and fallen short. We give thanks to God for what was good, and ask God’s mercy and forgiveness for what was difficult or for where we failed.
Practice:
Introduction to the Review of Consciousness
If it is true that God is at work in every detail of our lives, how do we begin to recognise his action and our reaction?
At the end of the day, especially before going to sleep, the mind, without any conscious effort on our part, tends to play back some of the events of the day so vividly that if the day has been particularly eventful we can find it difficult to get to sleep. We may find ourselves re-enacting a quarrel, thinking of the clever and cutting things we might have said if we had been more quick-witted, and so on.
The Review of Consciousness is based on this natural tendency of the mind. It can help us to be more aware of God’s presence and action in our daily lives, and to be more sensitive to where we are cooperating with God’s grace and where we are refusing it.
How to do a Review of Consciousness
Let your mind drift over the last 24 hours, refraining from any self-judgement, whether of approval or disapproval, attending to and relishing only those moments of the day for which you are grateful. Even the most harrowing day includes some good moments, if only we take the trouble to look – it might be the sight of a raindrop falling, or the fact that I can see at all. When people attempt this exercise, they are usually surprised at the number and variety of good moments in the day which otherwise would have been quickly forgotten – obscured, perhaps, by any painful experience in the day. Having remembered the events for which you are grateful, thank and praise God for them.
After thanksgiving, the next step is to recall your inner moods and feelings, noting, if you can, what led to them, but again refraining from any self-judgement. Be with Christ as you look at these moods and beg him to show you the attitudes which underlie them. The important thing is not to analyse our experience, but to contemplate it in Christ’s presence and let him show us where we have let him be in us and where we have refused to let him be. We thank him for the times we have ‘let his glory through’ and ask forgiveness for the times we have refused him entry. He never refuses forgiveness. He knows our weakness far better than we do. All we have to do is show it to him and he can transform our weakness into strength. We can conclude with a short prayer, that also looks forward to the day to come, and asks for God’s help.
Prayer for Review of Consciousness
Lord, you know me better than I know myself. Your Spirit pervades every moment of my life. Thank you for the grace and love you shower on me. Thank you for your constant, gentle invitation to let you into my life. Forgive me for the times I have refused that invitation, and closed myself off from you. Help me in the day to come, to recognise your presence in my life, to open myself to you, to let you work in me, to your greater glory. Amen.
Scripture Guide
What is it?
This is where we read a passage of scripture, slowly and mindfully, and see what strikes us or catches our attention. How is God speaking to us through His Word? Below are some thoughts and exercises on how to do this.
Practice:
Listening to the Word
Read over the passage, slowly, several times and see if any word or phrase stands out for you, and stay with that phrase for as long as you like before turning your attention to any other.
The process is a bit like sucking a boiled sweet (for US readers, hard candy). Do not try to analyse the phrase, just as you would not normally break up a boiled sweet and subject it to chemical analysis before tasting it.
Often a phrase will catch the attention of our subconscious mind’s needs long before our conscious mind is aware of the reason for the attraction. That is why it is good to remain with the phrase for as long as possible without trying to analyse it.
I may find all sorts of distractions running through my mind, but some thoughts, far from being distractions, can become the substance of my prayer. It is as though the phrase of Scripture is a searchlight which plays upon my stream of consciousness, thoughts, memories, reflections, daydreams, hopes, ambitions, fears, and I pray out of the mixture of God’s Word and my inner thoughts and feelings.
Scripture as a Searchlight
The opening verse of the Bible, “Now the earth was a formless void, there was darkness over the deep and God’s spirit hovered over the water”, is describing a present state of affairs, not a past event, and when I pray from the Scriptures I am letting the Spirit of God hover over the chaos and darkness of my being.
When I allow the Word of God to hover over my preoccupations, then anything can happen, for he is the God of surprises. It is important that I do not hide my inner chaos from the Word of God or from myself. We are often so trained that we think it wrong to allow any negative feelings entry into our prayer, especially negative feelings about God. We have to learn to grow out of this training, expressing our feelings and thoughts freely before God and trusting that he is big enough to take our tantrums. There is no point in pretending before God, who knows us better than we know ourselves.
There is no thought, feeling or desire within you which cannot become the substance of your prayer in the light of God’s Word, when you know that God loves the chaos that is you and that his Spirit working in you can do infinitely more than you can think or imagine.
Dealing with Distractions
Trying to pray like this, it may well happen that the mind begins to fill with questions and apparent distractions. How do I know that I am not deceiving myself? How do I know these words are true, that God really does communicate himself through them? Do I really have faith in God? These are valid questions, but for now let them wait. When a child is frightened in the night, the mother goes and lifts the child and says, ‘It’s all right,’ and the child gradually quietens. But if she has a prodigy on her hands who replies, ‘But mother, what epistemological and metaphysical assumptions are you making in that statement and what empirical evidence can you adduce in support of your contention?’ then mother really has a problem in her arms. In prayer we are like that impossible child if we refuse to listen to God until he has measured up to whatever criteria we may care to lay down. We communicate with him first with our hearts. The heart is not mindless: it has reasons, deeper than we can see at first with our conscious minds.
Having left the questions aside for now, what do I do with all the other distractions which flood my mind? I may begin to wonder if I left the gas on, or remember an email I forgot to send. If it is urgent, like the gas, the safest thing is to go and check. With matters that can wait, perhaps jot them down for later. Anything else which comes to mind, far from being a distraction, can become the substance of my prayer.
Inspiration Guide
In this section we give you some thoughts and impressions on which to reflect, in order to help you dive more deeply into the scriptures, and apply them to your own life. These are the thoughts of individuals and so there may be some that speak to you and others that don’t, even some things you agree with and others you don’t. Feel free to take on board only that which you find helpful and simply let go of the rest. Sometimes a word or idea may challenge us, and we may like to bring this to prayer to see if the Lord is speaking to us in a new way, or wants us to learn or understand something new. We pray for open and receptive hearts and minds and try to leave our preconceptions behind as we enter into this “Sacred Space” with God.
Treoir Chomhrá
Cad é?
Is é seo an chuid den phaidir ina labhraímid le hÍosa (nó cibé Duine den Tríonóid is mó a bhfuil baint againn leis), faoi na rudaí atá díreach léite againn sa scrioptúr nó atá ag dul ar aghaidh ionainn féin, díreach mar a labhraímid le cara dhil. Is minic a thugtar “croí le croí” air seo leis an Tiarna, agus is féidir go mbeadh sé ina chuidiú Íosa ina sheasamh nó ina shuí in aice linn a shamhlú, agus a aghaidh agus a radharc á dhíriú aige orainn. Tá sé tábhachtach labhairt leis an Tiarna, ach freisin éisteacht lena bhfuil á rá aige mar fhreagra. Is áit í seo le teacht díreach mar atáimid, gan cur i gcéill – is féidir linn a bheith go hiomlán sinn féin os comhair ár nDia a bhfuil grá aige dúinn.
Cleachtadh:
Ag comhrá le Íosa
Samhlaigh go bhfeiceann tú Íosa ina shuí in aice leat. Agus é seo á dhéanamh agat tá tú ag cur do shamhlaíochta i seirbhís do chreidimh. Níl Íosa anseo ar an mbealach a shamhlaíonn tú é, ach is cinnte go bhfuil sé anseo, agus cuidíonn do shamhlaíocht chun tú a chur ar an eolas faoi seo. Anois, labhair le hÍosa …. mura bhfuil aon duine thart, labhair amach le guth bog …. Éist lena bhfuil le rá ag Íosa leat mar fhreagra, nó cad a shamhlaíonn tú é a rá …. Sin é an difríocht idir smaoineamh agus guí. Nuair a smaoinímid, bímid ag caint linn féin go ginearálta. Nuair a dhéanaimid guí, labhraímid le Dia.
Anthony de Mello SJ, Sadhana leathanaigh 78-79
Glaonn Naomh Ignatius ‘colloquy’ ar an gcomhrá seo, agus deir sé:
Déantar ‘colloquy’, sa tslí ina labhrann cara amháin le cara, nó seirbhíseach le duine in údarás – anois ag iarraidh gar, anois ag cur míghníomh éigin ina leith féin, ag insint do dhuine faoina imnithe anois agus ag fiafraí comhairle ina dtaobh. …. Sna ‘colloquy’ ba chóir dúinn comhrádh agus impigh do réir an ábhair; is é sin, de réir an dtagann cathú nó comhbhá orm, fonn chun buadh amháin nó ar cheann eile a bheith agam, nó mé féin a dhiúscairt ar bhealach amháin nó ar bhealach eile, nó brón nó áthas a fháil ar an ábhar atá á bhreathnú agam. Agus ar deireadh ba chóir dom an méid is mó a theastaíonn uaim i leith nithe áirithe a iarraidh.
Na Cleachtaí Spioradálta uimh 54, 199
Conclusion Guide
This is simply a moment to finish with a final thought or prayer, maybe giving thanks to God or setting an intention for yourself as you go back into the business of the day and your normal life.