Evening Prayer: North Umbria Community

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentences

My soul waits for the Lord

more than those

who watch for the morning,

more than those

who watch for the morning.

Call: Out of the depths I have cried to You.

Response: O Lord, hear my voice.

Call: With my whole heart I want to praise You.

Response: O Lord, hear my voice.

Call: If you, Lord, should mark iniquities:

Response: Who could stand? who could stand?

I will wait for the Lord.

My soul waits,

and in His word

do I hope.

Expressions of faith

Lord, You have always given

bread for the coming day;

and though I am poor,

today I believe.

Lord, You have always given

strength for the coming day;

and though I am weak,

today I believe.

Lord, You have always given

peace for the coming day;

and though of anxious heart,

today I believe.

Lord, You have always kept

me safe in trials;

and now, tried as I am,

today I believe.

Lord, You have always marked

the road for the coming day;

and though it may be hidden,

today I believe.

Lord, You have always lightened

this darkness of mine;

and though the night is here,

today I believe.

Lord, You have always spoken

when time was ripe;

and though you be silent now,

today I believe.

Scripture

Prayers for others

Canticle

In the shadow of Your wings

I will sing Your praises, O Lord.

The Lord is my light, my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the refuge of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

In the shadow of Your wings

I will sing Your praises, O Lord.

One thing I ask of the Lord,

one thing I seek;

to dwell in the presence of my God,

to gaze on Your holy place.

In the shadow of Your wings

I will sing Your praises, O Lord.

I believe I shall see the goodness

of the Lord in the land of the living.

O wait for the Lord!

Have courage and wait,

wait for the Lord.

In the shadow of Your wings

I will sing Your praises, O Lord.

Blessing

See that ye be at peace among yourselves, my children,

and love one another.

Follow the example of good men of old

and God will comfort you and help you,

both in this world

and in the world which is to come.

Lectio Divina: Michael Bischof

Lectio Divina (pronounced LEX-ee-o-dih-VEE-nuh) is a Latin phrase for the sacred readings of Scripture

History

-  It is a method or reading Scripture that innumerable monks, nuns, and followers of Christ have used since the earliest days of the church

-  For both the Israelites and the earliest Christians, the Psalter (Psalms) was their song book.

-  It was St. Benedict (ca. 480 - ca.550) who cemented the practice in Western monasticism, and Guigo II (ca. 1115 - ca. 1198) who articulated the practice even further in his book Scala Calustralium (The Ladder of Monastics). 

Description

-  It is a method of reading the Bible in a devotional way (as opposed to literal, moral, or allegorical) - believing that because it is God's inspired Word, it is a living and active text, that has something to say to each individual believer.

-  Lectio divina assumes that, by entering deeply into the text of God's holy Word, God will be made known to us, speak to us, and shape our lives.

-  It is reading the Bible with no agenda and no presuppositions.

-  One needs to purposefully shed the common methods most individuals use in their every day (such as reading for entertainment or information)

Practice 

-  Find a Bible translation or paraphrase that is easily readable.

-  Use a Bible without notes, underlining or study helps - anything that will distract you from what God is saying to you in that moment.

-  Pay attention to your surroundings - you want quiet or silence, enough light to read, but not so bright that it is distracting and no other distractions like phones.
-  Choose a time of the day when you are wide awake and set aside enough time to hear from God.

-  Pay attention to your surroundings - you want quiet or silence, enough to light read, but not so bring to be distracting, and no other distractions like phones.

-  Choose a text of Scripture that you sense will be a good source of devotion for you.  While all Scripture can be used for this, as you are beginning it might be best to choose a Psalm, something from the gospels, or a short paragraph from one of the epistles.

-  You might begin with a prayer requesting and expecting God's presence and direction 

Structure

- Reading a passage of Scripture (lectio)

    -  Read the scripture slowly, repeatedly, and aloud if possible

    -  Allow the text to trigger memories and associations that reside below the threshold of awareness

    -  Be calm, deliberate, gradual, and listening hard for what God has to say to you

    -  Imagine what your temperament will be in heaven sitting at God's feet

    -  Listen for a word or phrase that rises above the rest of the text ("rings") and grabs a hold of you

    -  Reading aloud helps the words and phrases resonate in the ear

-  Meditation on that passage (meditatio)

    -  This is the "interior intelligence" of the text - what seem to be the values, the underlying assumptions and presumptions of this passage?

    -  How is my life touched today by this passage?

    -  What is this passage inviting me to do?

    -  As you attend to those deeper meanings, begin to meditate on the feelings and emotions that are conjured up in your inner self

-  Prayer (oratio)

    -  Although it is all prayer, here one deliberately asks God for illumination

    -  Respond to God, telling your desire to respond to the invitation or asking questions

-  Contemplation (contemplatio)

    -  Silent waiting on God

    -  Where  your prayer moves beyond words and intellect into a place where time and eternity almost touch

    -  This final step takes patience and practice, and is often the most difficult to achieve

    -  It may be merely a moment of silence, peace, and rest in the midst of 10 minutes of struggle to quiet your mind

Group Lectio

-  After an opening prayer, a passage is read two or three times, slowly and deliberately, and participants are asked to find the word or phrase that speaks to them (stands out, or "rings," or rises above the others)

-  Share that word of phrase with the group

-  Read the passage two or three more times (different reader)

-  Participants again reflect on the word or phrase that speaks to them, this time attending to the emotions or feelings that it conjures.

-  Share these emotions or feelings with the group

-  Read the passage two more times, again in a distinct voice, with a longer period of silence asking God why this word or phrase provoked this feeling.

-  A final and more lengthy time of sharing ends the session with each person telling the others what God is saying to them through the text

For more information go to:  www.valyermo.com/ld-art.html

Ignatian Meditation: Jason Phillips taken from Jan Johnson's seminar

Ignatian Meditation is another tool designed to draw us into deep relationship with Jesus.  During March's Spiritual Formation night we used this discipline as means to be with God.  Jason helped lead this station during that evening and asked us to be present within the scripture and allow our imagination to take us to places God intends us to go.  Here are some of Jason's notes on Ignatian Meditation.

Why meditate on scripture?

-  Meditation helps us to become "careful to do everything written in the Word" (Joshua 1:8).

-  It is mentioned more than 15 times in the psalms. (Ps 48:9, 77:2, 143:5 145:5, 119:15)

-  It is a spiritual discipline, which is practicing how to become attentive to that small voice and a chance to be willing to respond when we hear it.

How is meditation on Scripture different from study of Scripture?

In the Study Method You...

-  Dissect the text

-  Ask questions about the text

-  Read and compare facts and new ways of applying the facts.

In Meditation Method You...

-  Hear the text and enter into it

-  Let the text ask questions of you

-  Read and let God speak to you

How Do We Do This?

-  Be a "fly on the wall."  If you had been present, what sights, sounds, tastes, smells and textures would you have experienced?

-  Let God put you in the passage, perhaps becoming the person Jesus is speaking to.  Let Jesus look you in the eyes, sitting face to face, and speak to you.  What do you sense as Jesus speaks to you?  What facial expressions do you notice?

-  Use your imagination, but still be WORD-centered

- Approach Scripture in a non-controlling manner:  Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls (James 1:21).

Prayer for Others: Bernie Smith - Meditations on Prayer

In early February, Wednesday Night Spiritual Formation was focused on the rhythm of Loving Others Well.  There were five stations set up and the community rotated through them, spending time to meditate on the scripture and/or prayers.  One of the stations had Bernie Smith's Prayer for Others on it.  It was phrases of things that humanity cannot accomplish, but always refrained with the phrase "but I know One who can."  This rhythmical see-saw phrasing really resonated with Erin, one of Solidarity's staff members.

Immediately after reading this prayer one teen popped into her mind.  Erin wished that she could make the teen know their complete value, to see how truly beautiful she is, and to make the stressful trauma go away, but reading this prayer, Erin realized how limited she is.  Erin does not have the capability or ability to be all of that in her friend's life.  In some odd way the phrase "I cannot..." was so comforting.   Erin always knew this, but so often we carry the responsibility of others on our own shoulders.   I guess this is what makes the refrain "but I know One who can," so incredibly powerful.

Enjoy the prayer...
- kev

I cannot make the sparrow fly,

Nor can I understand

What makes the clouds hang in the sky,

But I know One who can.

I cannot make the ocean waves

Dash forth against the land:

I cannot help the soul that craves,

But I know One who can.

I cannot hear the humble prayers

Of those of foreign clans;

I cannot ease their wants and cares,

But I know One who can.

I cannot lead the erring ones

With mine own trembling hand;

Nor yet restore the hope that's gone,

But I know One who can.

I cannot see the broken hearts

That long for joy again;

Nor can I mend the broken parts,

But I know One who can.

I cannot heal the many ills

That come so oft to man;

I cannot give the joy that fills,

But I know One who can.

I cannot know why trials fall

Within our life's short span;

But my God understands it all,

And He's the One who can!

O Lord, Give Us More Charity: Henry Alford

This is a prayer that I found recently.  We used at Solidarity's Wednesday night formation.  There was a common trend that night of denying one's self for the sake of another.  In a culture that promotes looking out for "number one," denying ourselves for the sake of another is extremely counter-cultural.  Especially when the "another" is someone who should/could be irritating, annoying, self-involved, or an enemy.  My favorite part is "better to forget ourselves than to put ourselves forward."
-  kev

O Lord, give us more charity, more self-denial, more likeness to thee.  Teach us to sacrifice our comforts to others, and our likings for the sake of doing good.  Make us kindly in thought, gentle in word, generous in deed.  Teach us that it is better to give than to receive, better to forget ourselves than to put ourselves forward, better to minister than be ministered unto.  And to thee, the God of love, be all glory and praise now and forever.

Amen