Entering the time of prayer:
First, I find a quiet corner to begin this time with God. I close my eyes and allow myself to feel God’s loving gaze, to feel God’s delight that we are about to spend this precious time together. I allow myself time to absorb this truth. I let myself be held in the warmth of God’s loving embrace.
I take a deep breath and then, bit by bit, breath by breath, I let go of all the busyness, let go of whatever has been on my mind in the hustle and bustle of my day. This is a time for God; everything else can wait. I breathe again and open myself more and more to that place of stillness within me. I feel God’s loving presence that is always there. I let it fill me as I open my heart and my mind to this time of prayer.
First thoughts:
The time of preparation is almost over. Our Holy Week has begun. It is a week during which the contrasts of life are ever more sharply defined: we have liberation alongside betrayal, abandonment together with total self-giving, deep distress and agony next to new life and hope. This week teaches some important lessons: life overcomes death, light is greater than darkness and God’s love is given equally to each and every one of us.
Today’s Bible texts: Mark 15:37-40
And Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last.
The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this Man was the Son of God!”
There were also women watching from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome.
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:
“And Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last.” These are words that we have heard or read many times before. It is all too easy to pass over them, to not properly notice what is being said. So today, I sit with them for a moment. I repeat them. I open my heart to them.
Now, I let myself imagine that I am there. Like the centurion, like the women watching from a distance, I stand before the Cross. I let myself enter the scene, feeling the heat of the midday sun, hearing the noise of the crowd. I look at Jesus. What do I see?
The centurion was an outsider, viewed by many as ‘the enemy,’ and yet he saw the truth about Jesus. Are there times when I feel like an outsider, even sometimes in the Church? What do I want to say about Jesus today? What do I want to say to Jesus?
Bringing our time of prayer to an end:
I close this time of prayer by speaking openly and freely to God for a few moments about what I have experienced. I speak just as I would to my closest friend. And I listen also for the ways God might be speaking to me – in the images that stay in my mind, or the feelings I am having. Then, I bring our time together to a close with a small gesture of gratitude and love, 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.
