Rv 4:1-11;    Ps 150:1-6;    Lk 19:11-28

R. (1b) Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!

Praise the LORD in his sanctuary,
praise him in the firmament of his strength.
Praise him for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his sovereign majesty.

Praise him with the blast of the trumpet,
praise him with lyre and harp,
Praise him with timbrel and dance,
praise him with strings and pipe.

Praise him with sounding cymbals,
praise him with clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD! Alleluia.



Luke 19: 11-28 (Parable of the pounds)

Jesus may have based this story on an actual historical occurrence.  When Herod the Great died, one of his sons, Archelaus, went to Rome to plead for his inheritance.  A delegation of Jews dissuaded the emperor from appointing him king, though his inheritance was granted.  Jesus builds this incident into a lesson about the wise use of our talents.

• "So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth," the risen Christ said to the Church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:16).  What does this passage say to you?
• Have you been developing your talents and sharing yourself in challenging ways lately? How?

(From Praying the Daily Gospels, by Philip St. Romain) 

Three Experiences of Time (Pt. 3)

Our second experience of time can also be positive or negative. Chairotic (ky rot ik) time refers to our experience of seasons of time . For example, we experience childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and so on. We experience spring, summer, fall, and winter. These seasons of time are comprised of many moments of linear time, but each season has a feeling about it that we hold in memory in a special way. Furthermore, we each have our unique seasons. People who move from one place to the next will experience these as distinct periods in their lives; others may remember changing jobs, divorce, or a prolonged illness as a special season of life.

In many ways, chairotic time is a higher spiritual experience than linear time, for it enables us to stand outside of time (time-transcendence) to understand our lives. We can even reenter an earlier season for a brief period and thus experientially contrast where we were then with our present situation. This has happened to me many times as I have listened to music. A particular song will trigger a memory, and for a brief period I will feel myself as I was when I listened to the same song years ago. A flood of memories and feelings from that time in life will come, and if I consent to them, I can re-experience the person I was then. Generally, I am grateful for these chairotic memories and sometimes even nostalgic for the good old days. They always bring the gift of enabling me to see how my life has changed.

(From: Reflecting on the Serenity Prayer, by Philip St. Romain)

Listed below are several traditional methods of prayer and reflection.  As St. Frances de Sales noted, we learn to pray by praying, but it is also good to try different methods to see which seem to help facilitate connection with God.  Indeed, the more we learn different methods, the better we can sense how the Spirit is moving us to pray for any given prayer time.

Lectio Divina Process

First, you choose a passage of Scripture that you will pray with. It might be the Gospel reading used in the liturgy of the day, or anything else you want. The process then follows these steps:

• Reading (lectio) After settling in and quieting yourself,read the passage slowly, prayerfully. Just let it sink in for a minute or two, then read it a second time, paying closer attention to the words or phrases that speak to you.
  
  
• Reflecting (meditatio) What do you hear God saying to you in this passage? What words or phrases caught your attention?
  
  
• Responding (oratio) What do you want to say to God in response to what you've heard? Here you can also voice your prayers of petition, remorse, thanksgiving, praise, and so forth. If you sense God speaking to you in your thoughts, feelings or imagination, you respond as you would in any conversation.
  
  
• Resting (contemplatio) If, at any time, you feel drawn to simply rest in the awareness of God's loving presence, you let yourself do so. Remain in loving silence as long as you feel comfortable, perhaps using a simple word or phrase from the Scripture passage to help deepen your openness to rest in God (see Centering Prayer method, below)

Centering Prayer

(Works best after a period of Lectio Divina, as described above; two 20 minute periods a day are recommended.)

This term, centering prayer, is of recent origin, but the method is described in many places, most notably The Cloud of Unknowing.

1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God's presence and action within. (This can be any word.)

2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly, and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God's presence and action within.

3. When you become aware of thoughts, return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.

4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

Hesychast Prayer ("quiet" prayer)

 (This form of contemplative practice was widely used by the fathers and mothers of the desert in the early days of Christianity and is still very popular in Eastern Christian churches. At least two 20 minute prayer periods are recommended.)

1. Sit quietly, with back straight and hands resting in the lap, palms up.

2. Lovingly introduce into your mind the prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." (Note: this may be shortened as the prayer proceeds).

3. Let this prayer move in synchrony with your breath, praying the first part with your inhalation, the second with exhalation.

4. When distracting thoughts attempt to break in, persist with the Jesus Prayer. Allow yourself to feel your emotions, however.

Practice of this prayer may lead to feelings of warmth in the heart and perception of inner light. Enjoy. . .

Praying With Scripture (Benedictine Approach)

1. Relax. Settle in. Be aware that God is here, now, loving you.

2. Read a short passage of Scripture as though God were speaking directly to you in it.

3. Choose a phrase from the passage that strikes you and repeat it slowly, prayerfully, non-analytically.

4. When your heart is full, express to God the needs and sentiments awakened by your meditation. When you're done, read another passage and repeat steps 3 and 4.

5. If, at any time, you feel moved to simply be present to God in loving silence, put the Scripture aside and rest in God.

Review of the Day

- from, Handbook for Spiritual Directees 

Here is a practice used by many at the end of the day to see what lessons can be learned and how God was present and active through the day.  Set aside fifteen to twenty minutes at the end of the day for prayer and review of your day. A suggested format is described below:.

1. Take a few moments of quiet. Breathe deeply. Ask God to help you see yourself as you truly were during the day.

2. Look back over your day - not to see what you did wrong but to honestly acknowledge what was going on with you and others.

•    What happened? What did I do today?
•    How did I feel? Why did I feel that way?
•    Were my expectations and beliefs reasonable?

3. Affirm the healthy things you recognize.

4. Admit to yourself and God the unhealthy things. Ask God's forgiveness, believe it is yours, then decide if you need to apologize or make amends.

5. Use creative visualization to grow stronger. Honestly acknowledge the troubling situations of the day. See and feel yourself acting honestly and lovingly in these situations. Ask God for the grace to help you act in this new way.

6. Close with simple awareness of the sights and sounds around you, grateful for the good things in your life.

 This process can be undertaken as a daily journal exercise or by prayerfully reviewing your day in your own mind. I like to take a walk before bedtime for examen. The important thing is to do it. It is a discipline, to be sure, but a very important one.