attention, day 4

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: Isaiah 40:1-5

Reading for Reflection:

“Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it…” (Jeremiah 6:16).  In our crowded and distracted days, one of the ancient paths to deepening communion with God is attentiveness.  “What is required,” counsels Theophan the Recluse, “is a constant aliveness to God—an aliveness present when you talk, read, watch, or examine something.”  This vital attentiveness is nourished and guided by love.  It is reflected in the attention a young mother and father lavish upon their newborn infant, the finely honed appreciation shared by longtime friends, the alert care of an adult child at the bedside of a frail parent.  Love pierces the fog of suspended animation that often surrounds us, and brings us to greater consciousness of God’s presence in what we are seeing and hearing. (Editor’s introduction, by John S. Mogabgab, Weavings, July/August 2002)

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)