Thursday, 31 December 2015

MAY HIS FACE SHINE ON YOU

PRAYER MOMENT


Friday 1 January 2016, New Year


MAY HIS FACE SHINE ON YOU


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you … and bring you peace!” (Numbers 6:22)


Reflection. A week after Christmas we enter a New Year with a celebration of Mary. After a week pondering God among us, our gaze shifts to the one whose agreement was needed for it to happen. The Lord looked at the young girl in Nazareth and she responded to his look. The blessing of today is that He may look at each one of us also. It may be the look of Jesus at Zaccheus (Luke 19) which changed his life, or the look of Jesus at Peter after he denied him three times. Whatever the look it calls for a response: “Look towards him and be radiant” (Psalm 34).


Prayer. Lord, as we begin 2016, look towards us in our concerns and hopes and help us look to you in hope and joy. Amen.


Wednesday, 30 December 2015

WE SAW HIS GLORY

PRAYER MOMENT


Thursday 31 December 2015


WE SAW HIS GLORY


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “The Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-18)


Reflection. Finally, we stand back and “do theology” about what happened at Christmas. John’s approach is not to describe Bethlehem, angels and shepherds, but to ask, what does it all mean? And he simply says, “The Word became flesh and we saw his glory.” What glory? Was it the moment he was transfigured on the mountain? Maybe! But more likely it was the revelation of God among us. Or, more sharply, the revelation of someone so human he was divine. The thrill, as we end the year and begin afresh, is that we humans have a capacity we can hardly dream of. Call it glory. Call it what you like! But it is our ability to become divine, to share in the life of God.  


Prayer. Lord, as we begin a new year, help us to always recall that we are made for you and will always be restless till we reach you. Amen.





















Tuesday, 29 December 2015

NIGHT AND DAY

PRAYER MOMENT


Wednesday 30 December 2015


NIGHT AND DAY


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “Anna was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer.” (Luke 2:36-40)


Reflection. Anna makes a brief entry and then disappears. Luke likes to balance his narrative with men and women. If a man, Simeon, appears, so does a woman, Anna. If a man loses a sheep, so does a woman lose a coin. And we can see in Anna those countless elderly women who hold a family or a community or a church together by their presence, their care and their fidelity. They can be grandmothers, aunts or women in the community or parish. They give continuity and solidity to all sorts of groups. This is a moment to celebrate them.


Prayer. Lord, as we close the year we recall with gratitude the many women who have been part of our lives and have supported and sustained us. Amen.





















Monday, 28 December 2015

THE SECRET THOUGHTS OF MANY

PRAYER MOMENT


Tuesday 29 December 2015


THE SECRET THOUGHTS OF MANY


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul to –so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.” (Luke 2:22-35)


Reflection. Philosopher Isaiah Berlin believed that the essential of being human is the power to choose. Countless people live their lives boxed in my repressive regimes and have no room to exercise this essential. The coming of the Messiah calls for a choice. Despite oppressive circumstances men and women from now on have to choose and what their choices are will now be revealed. In practice they hardly had a choice before. Now they have. And what were their choices? We have seen Mary’s. We have seen Herod’s. Each generation is faced with choices.

Prayer. Lord, as we approach a new year, help us to make generous choices that hurry on the arrival of the kingdom, the reign of God. Amen.





















SOBBING AND LOUDLY LAMENTING

PRAYER MOMENT


Monday 28 December 2015. The Innocents


SOBBING AND LOUDLY LAMENTING


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loudly lamenting: it was Rachel weeping for her children.” (Matthew 2:13-18)


Reflection. It is called “collateral damage” – a phrase squeezed of emotional content, a description of “what happened” emptied of responsibility. Who is to blame when a Syrian woman sobs on TV because her husband is dead and her children lie buried under rubble? It is sometimes thrown at believers, “Where is your God that such things happen?” The answer, of course, is he is there suffering with his people. He knows what it is like to be caught up in struggles for power and control. And the millions who do not know him suffer any way – but not in vain. The innocent suffer and, in the solidarity of humanity, their pain has meaning.

Prayer. Lord, as we reflect on the Holy Innocents, help us to see that we are all one: brothers and sisters in every corner of the planet. Amen.





















Friday, 25 December 2015

IN SWADDLING CLOTHES

IN SWADDLING CLOTHES
Luke gives us this detail of the birth of Jesus; that he was swathed in bands of cloth as, seemingly, was the custom. Luke is graphically making the point that this little child has now entered a limited existence where he cannot even move his arms. These limitations would be accentuated as he grows up and begins his mission. He can cure the lame and open the eyes of the blind but he cannot break down the hostility of the Jewish leaders. He is definitely one of us.
Yet it is precisely to break these fetters that he came; “to proclaim liberty to captives and to let the oppressed go free.” He has entered our world and become one of us in order to break what binds humanity. But he will do it from within. He will proclaim it as his programme but he will achieve it by walking the human journey with us. All the miracles were simply signs and when he raised Lazarus from the dead he told the bystanders, “Unbind him, let him go.” Those words too had a deeper meaning than simply untying the swathes.
But it cost him everything. We are told a little later that those sent to arrest him, “seized Jesus and bound him.” Once more his arms were restricted and he was led “where he would rather not go.” But he accepted the cup the Father had given him and he knew that this way, from within, was the only way to finally break the bonds that held humanity. He would break them and in so doing break them for us all. He broke them as man by submitting to them as, in the end, we have to do. And when they had done all they could to destroy him the time came for him as God to burst through them forever.
It all happened from within; within the swaddling clothes of humanity. Those bonds could not hold him. He accepted them for a while because he had a plan. But, when the time came, he broke through them and opened a way for all of us to follow.
We all have our swaddling clothes – those things than restrict us: our limits of education, finance, health and so on. We are all limited. Yet our destiny is to break out of these limits. That is what we mean by “the resurrection of the dead.” Mary helps us understand. At Bethlehem she, was limited. They couldn’t even find a place to stay. But now the whole world seeks her help and she is able to attend to everyone, everywhere – not just in some passing way, like Pope Francis can only do, bending to hold the hand of a sick child – but in an all attentive way, solicitous about “the least of my brothers and sisters.”   

Happy Christmas!

Christmas Day 2015
Isaiah 9:2-17                           Titus 2:11-14                          Luke 2:1-14


Wednesday, 23 December 2015

HOUSE OF DAVID

PRAYER MOMENT


Thursday 24 December 2015


HOUSE OF DAVID


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “He has raised up for us a power for salvation in the House of his servant David.” (Luke 1:67-79)


Reflection. Our Christmas eve readings sweep through the Old Testament to focus on David as king and the House that he established. It was typically human, based on the murder of Solomon’s mother’s first husband, and Jesus was born into such a lineage. But it was “raised up” and became for us a power that would transform us and our world. We root ourselves in that process of transformation, straining to appropriate our heritage in all the details of our personal lives and in our shared responsibility for our whole human family and our planet.  


Prayer. Lord, you come to us and we celebrate. May we truly grasp your coming and let in flow into our lives. Amen.





















Tuesday, 22 December 2015

HE WILL SUDDENLY ENTER

PRAYER MOMENT


Wednesday 23 December 2015


HE WILL SUDDENLY ENTER


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “The Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter … (Malachi 3:1- 4)


Reflection. As in a symphony the earlier themes are repeated in the grand finale. Here John the Baptist makes a final appearance before the birth of the Lord. The two explicit texts – in Malachi and Luke – are replayed and the emphasis is on both the suddenness of his coming and the refining of his mission. To take the life of just one person – Ignatius of Loyola – we see the suddenness of the Lord coming into his life in the wound he received in battle and the long process of refining that followed in his conversion and study. We welcome Jesus and realise that his “burden is light” but it does change our lives and that can be painful.

Prayer. Lord, we rejoice with Zechariah and Elizabeth and “all their neighbours” and long to welcome not only Jesus but all that he calls us to. Amen.





















Monday, 21 December 2015

MY STRENGTH IN MY GOD.

PRAYER MOMENT


Tuesday 22 December 2015


MY STRENGTH IN MY GOD.


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “My heart exults in the Lord; I find my strength in my God.” (1 Samuel 2: 1, 4-8)


Reflection. This song, on which Mary’s Magnificat is based, comes from the mouth of Hannah, the mother of Samuel. She, like the mothers of Isaac and John the Baptist, was childless while well on in years. The scriptures hammer home the message that God is intervening in human history, even in human biology; there will be a birth unlike any other birth. And this will be just the start of a “work” where he will intervene in every corner of human life. God has always been “with us” but now this “with us” takes on a new form, a new urgency. Everything will be transformed and he will do it “with us.” He will be our strength as he was for Hannah.  

Prayer. Lord, we rejoice with Mary and Hannah that you have come to work with us. Give us your strength and wisdom each day. Amen.





















Sunday, 20 December 2015

COME THEN, MY LOVE, MY LOVELY ONE, COME!.

PRAYER MOMENT


Monday 21 December 2015


COME THEN, MY LOVE, MY LOVELY ONE, COME!.


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “The fig tree is forming its first figs and the blossoming vines give out their fragrance. Come then, my love, my lovely one, come.” (Song of Songs 2:8-14)


Reflection. This song appears in wedding invitations and such expressions of love draw on the source of all love in God. The writer here is captured by the love of God and expresses it in song, a song that fits so well here in Advent with its poetry of “leaping on the mountains”, echoing Mary hurrying into the hill country to greet Elizabeth whose child leaps in her womb. God’s relationship with us is one of love and all the events of the coming days are expressions of it. We are called to respond to this love with our love.


Prayer. Lord, we rejoice with Mary in realising your great love for us. May we too “hurry” to express our love for one another and for you! Amen.





















Friday, 18 December 2015

BUT THEY WERE CHILDLESS

PRAYER MOMENT


Saturday 19 December 2015


BUT THEY WERE CHILDLESS


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were worthy n the sight of God, and scrupulously observed all the commandments and observances of the law> But they were childless.” (Luke 1:5-25)


Reflection. Today we have a birth to two couples who were advanced in years  and were childless: the parents of Samson and John the Baptist. The point of such stories is the intervention of God.. Against all expectations both couples have a son, who will deliver the people from their sufferings. God intervenes in their human efforts and brings new life where it is least expected. And this is the underlying good news of the gospel, then and now. God knows our longings as they coincide with his own and he intervenes again and again to bring new life to us and our world.


Prayer. Lord, we pray with Isaiah that you would “tear the heavens open and come down” to heal our wounded hearts and world. Amen.





















Thursday, 17 December 2015

JOSEPH SON OF DAVID

PRAYER MOMENT


Friday 18 December 2015


JOSEPH SON OF DAVID


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife.” (Matthew 1:18-24)


Reflection. Joseph, like his Old Testament namesake, was a man of dreams, dreams that would lead them both into a world they never conceived. They both battled with incomprehension and they both were blessed beyond anything they could imagine. But their stories were different. The OT Joseph was filled with honours, power and wealth. But our Joseph was poor, powerless and died in obscurity. Both were noble servants of the Lord but what a contrast! The new Joseph teaches the humble way of the gospel, the way of faithful service.


Prayer. Lord, we honour the people surrounding your birth and take our place with them wishing to serve you in your people. Amen.





















Wednesday, 16 December 2015

A GENEALOGY

PRAYER MOMENT


Thursday 17 December 2015


A GENEALOGY


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1-17)


Reflection. We are now in the eight day run up to Christmas and we start with the most boring of gospels – a list of names! Well, it is boring in one sense, but it is fascinating too. The Son of God’s human ancestry is a shady lot in places. For instance, Solomon’s mother was Uriah’s wife whom David had murdered. Jesus really entered our human story with all its lights and shadows and the list of his ancestors firmly places him among us. And so we begin the intense days leading up to Bethlehem, full of wonder and “pondering all these things” with Mary in our hearts.


Prayer. Lord, we want to approach the day you appeared among us in the stable with wonder, reverence and joy, our hearts full of thanks and song. Amen.





















A GENEALOGY

PRAYER MOMENT


Thursday 17 December 2015


A GENEALOGY


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “A genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1-17)


Reflection. We are now in the eight day run up to Christmas and we start with the most boring of gospels – a list of names! Well, it is boring in one sense, but it is fascinating too. The Son of God’s human ancestry is a shady lot in places. For instance, Solomon’s mother was Uriah’s wife whom David had murdered. Jesus really entered our human story with all its lights and shadows and the list of his ancestors firmly places him among us. And so we begin the intense days leading up to Bethlehem, full of wonder and “pondering all these things” with Mary in our hearts.


Prayer. Lord, we want to approach the day you appeared among us in the stable with wonder, reverence and joy, our hearts full of thanks and song. Amen.





















Tuesday, 15 December 2015

ARE YOU THE ONE?

PRAYER MOMENT


Wednesday 16 December 2015


ARE YOU THE ONE?


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for someone else?” (Luke 7:19-23)


Reflection. John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to Jesus with this question. It sounds strange. Did he doubt that Jesus was the one? Or was he telling his disciples to take their questions to Jesus? The first answer seems unlikely but then Jesus does answer John directly, “tell him that the signs associated with the Messiah are now happening.” Whatever the origin of the question we do look for confirmation for our faith and the Lord provides it constantly. if we see the signs all round us.


Prayer. Lord, help us not to lose faith in you even when we do not see the signs of your presence clearly. Amen.





















Monday, 14 December 2015

THOSE WHO ARE LEFT

PRAYER MOMENT


Tuesday 15 December 2015


THOSE WHO ARE LEFT


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “In your midst I will leave a humble and lowly people, and those who are left in Israel will seek refuge in the name of the Lord.” (Zephaniah 3:1…13)


Reflection. As we approach Christmas the Church has us reflect on the failure of Israel as a whole to believe. Only a remnant will remain to welcome the Lord when he comes. It is a painful result after all the centuries of preparation. In many parts of the world today people are rejecting the beliefs of their childhood, sometimes for understandable reasons. But the Church herself takes on the character of a remnant, where there are fewer people who believe – at least in the traditional sense, though who can look into the hearts of individuals? Still the remnant character of the Church is real enough. The number who are committed to the whole Gospel message is perhaps not so large.


Prayer. Lord, in welcoming you at Christmas, help us to welcome the whole gospel message in following the suffering Jesus to the cross. Amen.





















Sunday, 13 December 2015

THE MAN WITH FAR-SEEING EYES

PRAYER MOMENT


Monday 14 December 2015, John of the Cross


THE MAN WITH FAR-SEEING EYES


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “The oracle of the man with far-seeing eyes … I see him - but not in the present.” (Numbers 24:2…17)


Reflection. Balaam was supposed to curse Israel but he found himself blessing Israel instead. An honest man, he saw the facts before him and realised Israel was a blessed community. He saw in the distance that one would rise out of Israel who would be “a star.” The chief priests in Jesus’ time were unable to open their eyes and see what was in front of them. John of the Cross, a sixteenth century reformer of the Carmelites, had the vision to see: “At the end of our lives we will be judged on love. Where there is no love, put love; you will gather its rewards.”


Prayer. Lord, teach us to lve you and to love oeanother. Amen.





















TWO TUNICS

TWO TUNICS
“If anyone has two tunics he must share with one who has none.” John the Baptist’s blunt words, to those who came to him at the Jordan River seeking advice about the future, speak to us on the final day of the Climate Change talks in Paris. Two days ago there were 380 objections to the draft agreement. A day later that was down to 50. Finally an agreement was reached.
It is an astonishing event. Its decisions affect every country in the world. No one, no matter how rich or powerful, can insulate themselves from the effects of climate change. At the moment there is drought in California, floods in Ireland and, where I am in Zambia, four months so far of unusually hot weather. Secondly a consensus is growing that not to act will cause catastrophe in the future with hugely expensive consequences. While to act now will not only control warming – and so save incalculable numbers of people’s livelihoods - but the costs of acting are going down all the time as new technologies are developed to provide alternative forms of energy to burning fossil fuels.
Countries dragged their feet over earlier climate change conferences during the past twenty five years but today there is an overwhelming desire for action. Pope Francis recognised this when he wrote, “there is reason to hope that humanity at the dawn of the twenty first century will be remembered for bravely shouldering its responsibilities.” (Laudato Si #165)
When the human family comes together like this; when leaders make the compromises needed to reach an agreement for the common good and when technologies coalesce to provide the necessary means to solve problems, it has to be a cause for celebration. “Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud.” The prophet Zephaniah’s words (3:14) now have flesh. Benefits for one mean benefits for all! There are no losers in this type of agreement except those who think of nothing but profits and see limits on the emission of greenhouse gases as limits to making ever more money.
That so many are ready to “bravely shoulder their responsibilities” is remarkable. It erases the lament of Jesus when he wept over Jerusalem; “if only, on this day, you had recognised the things that make for peace.” (Luke 19:42) We have recognised it and we have acted. That is something! 
13 December 2015                             Advent Sunday 3 C
Zephaniah 3:14-18                             Philippians 4: 4-7                               Luke 3:10-18

     


Friday, 11 December 2015

HAPPY SHALL THEY BE WHO SEE YOU

PRAYER MOMENT


Saturday 12 December 2015


HAPPY SHALL THEY BE WHO SEE YOU


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “Happy shall they be who see you. and those who have fallen asleep in love.” (Sirah 48:1…11)


Reflection. The Old Testament continues to burnish the hope of Israel. Here it celebrates the ministry of Elijah who “was taken up in a chariot of fire.” The drama of the OT will now be fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist, who prepares the way for the One who announces the reign of God in his silent coming, “like dewfall,” his forceful but gentle ministry, his rejection, death and resurrection. Our joy is to see him coming in a thousand ways in our lives and in his eventual definitive coming at the end.  


Prayer. Lord, may we know the happiness of your coming into our lives each day. Amen.





















Thursday, 10 December 2015

IF ONLY YOU HAD BEEN ALERT

PRAYER MOMENT


Friday 11 December 2015


IF ONLY YOU HAD BEEN ALERT


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “If only you had been alert to my commandments, your happiness would have been like a river.” (Isaiah 48:17-19)


Reflection. This promise of Isaiah is relayed by Jesus when he tells the Jews they are like children in the market place in the game where you play pipes and they are supposed to dance. But they don’t.. God’s relationship with us is an invitation - not a command backed up by force. But it is “backed up” in the sense that if we do not follow his invite things will not work out for us. We bring disaster on ourselves. No one forces us to keep fuel in our tank but if we don’t it has consequences.. So the words to the woman at the well (John 4) hold good: “if you only knew the gift of God…!”..


Prayer. Lord, may we know the gift that you offer us and may we wholeheartedly welcome it. Amen.





















Wednesday, 9 December 2015

NONE GREATER THAN JOHN

PRAYER MOMENT


Thursday 10 December 2015


NONE GREATER THAN JOHN


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “Of all the children born of women, a greater than John the Baptist has never been seen…” (Matthew 11:11-15)


Reflection. John the Baptist is a key figure in Advent. He “prepares the way” and we quickly see what a role this is. Parents prepare the way for their children, as do teachers. People working at the frontiers of culture prepare the way for new understandings. Lay people taking key roles in churches, schools and clinics, once reserved for clerics, prepare the way. We are all people of transition: we are all John the Baptists. Our announcing the good news may get us into trouble - as it did with John – but that is sometimes a sign of authenticity.


Prayer. Lord, may we be Advent people! May we be people who push out ahead always announcing by our way of life the approach of Jesus. Amen.





















Tuesday, 8 December 2015

I WILL GIVE YOU REST

PRAYER MOMENT


Wednesday 9 December 2015


I WILL GIVE YOU REST


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “Shoulder my yoke and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)


Reflection. ‘Easy’ is not a word that comes naturally to us to describe modern life with its stress and frustrations. Yet Jesus is deliberately choosing his words: “My yoke is easy. You will find rest.” Just recently (3 December) we had the feast of Francis Xavier. The difficulties he met on his journeys to the east were unbelievable but he wrote of the immense joy and consolation he felt. And we see that in people. They become engaged 100% in their work for others and it gives them deep joy and satisfaction. Weariness and acedia are warning signs and Advent is a time to look at them.


Prayer. Lord, may we not grow weary but discover the strength you offer when we come to you. Amen.





















Monday, 7 December 2015

HER OFFSPRING

PRAYER MOMENT


Tuesday 8 December 2015. The Immaculate Conception of Mary


HER OFFSPRING


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “I will make you enemies of each other; you and woman, your offspring and her offspring.” (Genesis 3:9-15)


Reflection. We have two major feasts of Mary; one celebrating an event before she was born and another after she died. Why is this? Perhaps it is to emphasise how Mary is both one of us and also one who is a sign of transcendence. She is in history and yet she points beyond history. She is blessed not only among women but among all people for she is the mother who keeps the home and welcomes all her children into the house prepared by God. If there was a feast celebrating her during her life on earth it would have to combine her acceptance of her calling – “your will be done” - and her standing silently by the cross. But in both these events she withdraws and gives way to her Son. We honour her as the one who always leads us to Jesus. That is her whole desire - that we may know him.


Prayer. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Amen.





















Sunday, 6 December 2015

LET THE WASTELAND REJOICE!

PRAYER MOMENT


Monday 7 December 2015, St Ambrose of Milan


LET THE WASTELAND REJOICE!


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “Let the wilderness and the dry lands exult, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom.” (Isaiah 35:1-10)


Reflection. This passage from Isaiah is full of promise: a new age is upon us. In poetic language the prophet evokes the hope dormant in weary bones and dry land. There is a wasteland among us of poverty and sickness, of frustrated lives and exploitation, of selfish attitudes and barren trivialities. And perhaps we feel and emptiness within. And yet there is this fire burning among us, covered embers perhaps, but still the energy buried and ready to burst forth. That is the Advent message; a promise within us longing for an opening that will transform us as individuals and as society.  


Prayer. Lord, help us to welcome the energy and the hope of Advent. Amen.





















Wednesday, 2 December 2015

GO OUT

PRAYER MOMENT


Thursday 3 December 2015, St Francis Xavier


GO OUT


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “Go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all ceration.” (Mark16:15-20)


Reflection. This sixteenth century St Paul travelled further and further – not in any aimless self-ambitious way - he was drawn ever onward by the Spirit. He went to India, Indonesia, Japan and China just as Paul moved through Asia Minor, Greece and Illyria to Rome. He had the same energy, the same passion. And Francis realised how much he owed to the Lord, mediated by Ignatius and his companions. When he got their letters in the furthest corners of the east he would cut out their names and keep them in a locket next to his hearts. He was an extraordinary human being – full of passion, energy and affection. Yet he was deliberate and discerning in all the imaginative decisions he made.


Prayer. Lord, we rejoice in the life of Francis Xavier. Help us too to have the same passion, energy and imagination in all that we do. Amen.





















Tuesday, 1 December 2015

A BANQUET FOR ALL THE PEOPLES

PRAYER MOMENT


Wednesday 2 December 2015


A BANQUET FOR ALL THE PEOPLES


Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.


Reading: “The Lord will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines.” (Isaiah 25:6-10)


Reflection. It is just an image – the best we can do to hint at the future. The wedding feast at Cana was another hint, as were the multiplications of loaves and fishes, mentioned in all the gospels. And the greatest hint is the Eucharist. Jesus draws us on in our faith, always expanding our capacity to understand and appreciate “the gift of God.” We just cannot take it in so we have to taste it little by little. The first week of Advent is a cascade of hints and promises so that we open our hearts to receive the One who comes.


Prayer. Lord, increase our hope, our desire; open our hearts to receive the gift you offer and help us to share our joy with others. Amen.