attention, day 3

Come to Stillness: Take a few minutes to allow your mind and heart to be still before God.

Opening Prayer:
Lord, I ask for the grace to let go of my own concerns and be open to what you are asking of me, to let myself be guided and formed by my loving Creator. (Sacred Space: the Prayer Book 2010 by Jesuit Communication Centre)

Psalm for the Week: Psalm 130

Scripture for the Day: Ephesians 5:8-21

Reading for Reflection:

Attentiveness to God’s spirit requires deeply receptive, prayerful listening.  Practicing the art of attending to the Spirit involves us in contemplative listening.  Such listening is quite distinct from the various ways in which we generally listen to another….

     It is holy listening, rooted in silence.  It seeks emptiness in order to be filled with the Spirit.  It is permeated by humility.  Such listening assumes that the Spirit is active among us and works through us.  So it makes space for that movement.  It is primarily receptive, patient, watchful, and waiting.  Yet it does not fear action when action is called for.  Such listening is generously flexible, hospitable, and warm.  It embraces the widest possible spectrum of life’s beauty and pain.  It acknowledges the creation of all people in the image and likeness of God.  It approaches life as a mystery into which we joyously and generously live.  While in one sense a gift, such listening is generally cultivated over the years as we prayerfully attend to the Spirit in our own lives and as others listen to us in the same grace-filled way. (Companions in Christ: Participants Book, Part 5 by Wendy M. Wright)

Reflection and Listening: silent and written

Prayer: for the church, for others, for myself

Song for the Week: O Come, O Come, Emanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here,

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;

From depths of hell thy people save,

And give them vict’ry o’er the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Dayspring come and cheer

Our spirits by thy justice here.

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,

And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Key of David, come

And open wide our heav’nly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel

Closing Prayer
My God, since You are with me, and since it is Your will that I should apply my mind to these outward things, I pray that You will give me the grace to remain with You and keep company with You. But so that my work may be better, Lord, work with me; receive my work and possess all my affections. (The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence)