Entering the time of prayer:
I begin by taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of my usual thoughts and my usual day. It can help to first take a deep breath and then, bit by bit, breath by breath, to let go of all the busyness. This is a time for God; everything else can wait. I close my eyes; I breathe again and open myself more and more to that place of stillness within me. I seek God’s presence that is always there. I feel God’s loving gaze on me. I let it fill me as I open my heart and my mind to this time of prayer.
First thoughts:
We all know people who are good listeners. Friends, family, colleagues who hear more than just the words. They can sense when, behind the words, there is a whole extra world. The same thing happens when we look at people – their face or movement tells a whole new story. Time and again, the Bible offers something similar – behind the first layer of words or images there is a whole new world to be discovered, a world where God can speak to us through not only the words on the page, but the thoughts, memories and emotions that they evoke.
Today’s Bible Text: Isaiah 2:2-5:
In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths”. . . they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
I read the scripture passage slowly, I repeat it again and let the words fill my heart. What is the word or image that touches me most? How does it make me feel?
Some questions for reflection:
When Isaiah uttered these words, the nations around Jerusalem had joined together to try to conquer the city. But Isaiah looks beyond the threat to a different world where peace, not aggression, is at its core.
- Where are the places of fear or threat in my life? In the world around me?
- Do I believe that these situations can ever change into examples of peace?
- What part can I play in changing the dynamic? What can I do, as a first step, to bring about change?
Bringing our time of prayer to an end:
I close this time of prayer by speaking openly and freely to God about what I have experienced. I ask God to help me understand it better. I show my love and gratitude with a small gesture, perhaps by making a sign of the cross, bowing my head, or by saying an Our Father or Glory Be.
Noticing the fruits of the prayer:
After my prayer I look back for a moment. I ask myself, what was it like? What touched me the most? What was challenging or difficult? What gave me feelings of warmth or peace of strength? I write down some keywords to record and remember, so that the things that are most important are not lost. I hold on to one positive and life-giving word or image in particular and hold it close to my heart as I make my way, with God, through the rest of the day.
