Dare to Pray

Dare to pray. Christ prays in you more than you imagine - Brother Roger

Hospitality

Hospitality is about keeping the door of our hearts open.
It happens, therefore, at close range.
Disappoints, heartache and the like,
these (if we let them),
shut and bolt
our hearts
tight.

If and
when this happens,
I pray that God would
shove God's foot into your door...

And from the other side,
God will whisper,

‘Don’t be afraid.
In love there is always
so much more’.

Patiently, God will wait.

But you, and only you,

will have to muster up the courage

to open your heart’s door.

For in God's design,

the key is always placed

in your pocket

Woman at the Well

Thank you
for meeting us
in the ordinary, the practical
and the mundane;
At the height or
depth of our lives

Thank you, that in
Jesus, you listen to us
regardless of who we are

In Jesus, you care
enough to break
cultural and stereotypical
restraints

In Jesus,
you listen to
what we say in words
and beyond our words

Help us to
move from isolation
towards others;
To put aside our quickness
to judge or box.
To see in other
our sisters and brothers,
fathers and mothers

Jesus
our life and way,
thank you for
acknowledging
what every heart
has to say

Teach us How to Pray

The Bible says two vital things about prayer. Firstly, that we must pray and secondly, that we must be taught how to pray. See how, in her simple prayer, Mother Teresa remains evergreen, always a student, sitting at the feet of her beloved rabbi and teacher, Jesus of Nazareth:

Jesus

come into my heart,

Pray with me,

Pray in me -

that I may learn from thee

How to pray

Praying with Scripture

Lectio Divina is an ancient way of Praying with the Scriptures. It means divine, spiritual or sacred reading of Scripture. It's not about making a study of scripture. But it's primary purpose is to touch and transform our lives. Richard Foster writes, 'It is a way of allowing the mind to descend into the heart'. It is a deliberate move from exclusive head space to heart and soul space

Praying with Icons

Let the video buffer first. You do so by pressing play and then when it kicks in, press pause (anywhere on the screen) wait until the line has scrolled solidly from l to r. Turn up the volume, look and listen. With love and blessings

Some of my thoughts set against music by Margaret Rizza, photos of St Stephen's Youth Group, and two icons - one of which is the oldest known icon of Christ, Pantocrator, kept at St Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai

Icons, Gaze, See and Seen

St Stephen's Church, Pinelands. Lenten Themes, Approaches to Prayer

a

Icons encourage us to pray with eyes and hearts wide open. To grasp love not just with our hands, or intellects, but more generously through our gaze. A soft, uncritical way of paying attention where you not only see, but you are truly seen in return. This can be hard because it calls us to do nothing except be present.