Pray As You Go - Daily Prayer

Today is Wednesday the 29th of January in the 3rd week of Ordinary Time. The University of Johannesburg Choir sing the Kyrie: ‘Lord, have mercy; Christ, have mercy’. These imploring words, which have been sung for centuries, are a reminder of the inexhaustible mercy of God, of God’s unfailing compassion and forgiveness. As I listen, I might think for a moment about my need for that forgiveness, and the need, too, for me to show that same forgiveness to others. Kyrie eleison Christe eleison Today’s reading is from the Letter to the Hebrews. Hebrews 10:11-18 And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, ‘he sat down at the right hand of God’, and since then has been waiting ‘until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.’ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds’, he also adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. These words draw a contrast between fruitful and fruitless understandings of how God’s forgiveness works. I might well begin by recognising ways in which I may think I can win God’s forgiveness by my own efforts, and acknowledge the ways I might try to achieve this. On the other hand, there may be times when I really accept that it is only grateful acceptance of God’s love that sets me free from the self-centredness that sin and guilt embody. What helps me to be aware of and to feel God’s unconditional love for me? As the passage is read again, listen carefully to the emphasis it puts on forgiveness being a gift from God. This may be a good time to forget myself for a moment and briefly ask today for the grace to show others the forgiveness I know I have received from God. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Today is Tuesday the 28th of January, the feast of Saint Thomas Aquinas, in the 3rd week of Ordinary Time. The monks of Pluscarden Abbey sing Ecce quam bonum: “How good and how pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity! It is like precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.” Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Mark. Mark 3:31-35 Then [Jesus’] mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’ When Jesus’s family seek him out here, his reaction seems, at first sight, to be painfully dismissive of the people who care for him. Why do you think he chose to make this point so bluntly? It becomes clear in the passage that profounder values shape all that Jesus does. What are the values that I want habitually to guide my ordinary, daily life? Listen to the passage again, trying to imagine yourself in Jesus’s situation. If you were asked, “who are your brothers and sisters and mothers?”, how would you reply? Can you talk to God about this now? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Today is Monday the 27th of January in the 3rd week of Ordinary Time. The community of Taizé sing Jésus le Christ: ‘Jesus Christ, inner light, do not let my darkness speak to me. Jesus Christ, inner light, let me welcome your love.’ Jésus le Christ, lumière intérieure, ne laisse pas mes ténèbres me parler. Jésus le Christ, lumière intérieure, donne-moi d'accueillir ton amour. Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Mark. Mark 3:22-30 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ And [Jesus] called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered. ‘Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’— for they had said, ‘He has an unclean spirit.’ Jesus is responding to accusations here… Claims and statements about who He is; statements that sound so sure and confident about Him…but in reality, are so false. In our world at the moment, truth often seems up for debate; it can be difficult to know who or what to believe sometimes. Spend a bit of time now pondering Jesus’s response… you might like to imagine being there, observing how His words are received by the scribes… Or imagining how you would have responded to these claims… “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” Do Jesus’s words bring to mind any divisions you are aware of in the world around you? Take a moment to pray for these… As you listen to the passage from Mark’s gospel again, can you hear Jesus’s promise of something radical occurring, and hear it as relevant to your own circumstances… your own life? How might you be able to bring the truth about who Jesus is into the world around you? Speak with Jesus about this, and ask for the strength to be rooted in the truth of who He is… Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Today is Sunday the 26th of January, beginning the 3rd week of Ordinary Time. The Choir of Royal Holloway sings, ‘One In Christ’ by George Arthur. When we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living you declared your love and opened the gate of glory. Today’s reading is from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. We are all united with Christ in one body. Can you think of any particular person that you are particularly glad to be united with, in Christ? If so, pray for them. Is there anyone you’re not so happy about, someone you don’t want to be united with? Pray for that person, too, and for yourself. As you hear the reading again, take a moment to think of your own body and how each part serves the other parts. Can you ask God now to help you to put your gifts at the service of others? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Welcome to the Saturday Examen. Every Saturday, we reflect on the week past to see where God has been moving. As you enter this time of reflection, take time to arrive and stop. Become aware of your surroundings. Take slow breath in…and a slow breath out. Be aware of the presence of God all around you and within you. Ask God to illuminate this time. Cast your mind over the last week. What has been life-giving? Give thanks for this. Where have you struggled to believe and have hope? Bring these to God, now. What do you want to ask God for in the coming week? As this time comes to a close you may like to ask God to be filled afresh with strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Today is Friday the 24th of January, the feast of Saint Francis de Sales, in the 2nd week of Ordinary Time. The Porter’s Gate sings, ‘Walk With Me’. As you listen, you might like to ask Jesus to walk with you during this prayer time today… Let us lead with patience, with a gentle word Bearing every burden, laying down the old hurt When our feet are stumbling and the climb is steep All you people of good will, would you walk with me? Would you walk with me through the wilderness When we cannot see through our differences When the dust has settled and the votes are cast Would you walk with me? Let us lead with kindness, with a listening ear Hearing every story, laying down our old fears Though our hearts are broken and the pain runs deep All you people of good will, would you walk with me? Would you walk with me through the wilderness When we cannot see through our differences When the dust has settled and the votes are cast Would you walk with me? Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Mark. Mark 3:13-19 [Jesus] went up the mountain and called to him those whom he wanted, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons. So he appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. Then he went home. The Twelve were sent out “to proclaim the message”. What do you think that message is? Imagine you are one of the Twelve, being sent out today… what would you say? ‘Christ has no arms but ours,’ wrote Saint Teresa; ‘no hands, no legs but ours.’ As Christ sent out the apostles then, so too today Christ invites us to use our hands and arms and legs to proclaim and live out his message. How might you use yours? As you listen again, notice that phrase “those whom he wanted”, and ask yourself, “Do I believe Jesus invites me to be with him? Do I believe Jesus invites me by name? The Apostles were given a special calling, a particular vocation. But God has a purpose for every one of us, for every human life. How do you see your own calling? Can you talk with the Lord about this? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Today is Thursday the 23rd of January in the 2nd week of Ordinary Time. Juliano Ravanello sings, Santo É O Senhor Nosso Deus: ‘Holy is the Lord Our God’. Today’s reading is from the Letter to the Hebrews. Hebrews 7:25-8:2 Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for those of the people; this he did once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests those who are subject to weakness, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever. Now the main point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and the true tent that the Lord, and not any mortal, has set up. This reading describes Jesus as a priest – as one who intercedes between God and human beings, and one who offers sacrifice for sins. How do you feel about this way of describing Jesus? What might your reactions tell you about your attitude to “priesthood” and your attitude to Jesus himself? The reading also places Jesus at the centre of our lives, as a kind of pivotal point, the way we find God the Father, with the help of the Holy Spirit. Is that how you see Jesus? Is that the place you want him to have in your life? Jesus’s death and resurrection, his “once for all” offering on Calvary – once for all times, once for all peoples – is the single most important event in human history. Perhaps you can reflect on what this means to you as you hear the reading again. Remember the author’s “main point”: Jesus is at God’s right hand; always there, ready to save and to intercede for those who approach God through him. So why not pray now, confidently, to Jesus, for your deepest needs. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Today is Wednesday the 22nd of January in the 2nd week of Ordinary Time. Ex Cathedra, directed by Jeffrey Skidmore, sing Dulce Jesus mio: “My sweet Jesus, look with mercy on my lost soul.” As you sit here, or stand here now, trying to pray, what kind of shape is your soul in? Content and at peace? Lost and wandering? On the edge? And what about the other souls around you? Are there ‘lost souls’ here beside you who also need the love of God in their lives? Yya1 Jesuchrixhto, apuk1rui ityaku niyausus1p1 ninait1 sobi. Dulce Jesús mío, mirad con piedad mi alma perdida por culpa mortal. Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Mark. Mark 3:1-6 Again [Jesus] entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come forward.’ Then he said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. The Pharisees, the scripture tells us, were hard of heart. How did their hearts become hardened do you think? Whatever it was that happened to them, is it a danger for us too? We also hear that Jesus is angry with the Pharisees – he looks at them “with anger”. Can you imagine his face, the look he gives them? What makes you angry like that? What makes you angry enough to do something about it, to speak or to act, to change things? Notice the strength of the opposition building up against Jesus. From the very moment he entered the synagogue, “they watched him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him”. The opposition was organised. Dramatic too and extraordinary is the alliance between the religious Pharisees and the political, time-serving followers of Herod: together they conspire to destroy him. As you listen again, ask yourself, what is it about Jesus that they are so afraid of? We don’t get a picture of a soft Jesus from this passage, do we? How do you feel about the angry Jesus depicted here, the Jesus that seemed such a threat to these people that they wanted to destroy him? Can you relate to this Jesus, can you talk to him now, perhaps about the things that make you angry, or the opposition you face? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Today is Tuesday the 21st of January, the feast of Saint Agnes, in the 2nd week of Ordinary Time. Bless the Lord, my soul, who leads me into life. The most important thing for me to do now, as I enter into prayer, is to let go for a moment, to let go of my own concerns, my own worries and fears and reluctance, and let myself be led by God, trusting that God, who loves me, will lead me into life. Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Mark. Mark 2:23-28 One sabbath Jesus was going through the cornfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions." Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." The Pharisees were so eager not to break the rules that they lost sight of the real meaning of the commandments. In this case the will of God, that men and women should rest and enjoy the Sabbath, was not achieved. They failed to understand that the Sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the Sabbath. Where do you see this played out in the world today? Perhaps in your church, or community… or even, in your own life… The Sabbath was meant to be good news, a break, a release, a liberation – freedom from the burdens of work and time to be attentive to God. Have we lost, do you think, that sense of the Sabbath as good news? Is it good news that you need to hear in your life? Jesus speaks with authority in this passage. As you hear it again, listen carefully to his words and to what they say to you. Hearing Jesus’s words again, what was your reaction? You might have become aware of anxiety about “breaking the rules”, or perhaps you got a sense that you need to take a break… or perhaps, you were just struck by the boldness of Jesus’s words. Whatever your reaction is, you can bring it before the Lord now, and speak as you would to a friend… Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Today is Monday the 20th of January in the 2nd week of Ordinary Time. IAMSON sings, ‘Slow Down’. As we prepare to enter into prayer, you might like to use this time to slow down… Slow down, where are you going What's so important that can't wait Tell me what are you seeking What is it thats keeping you from Bringing me your questions All that you carry, all that you bury underneath Just slow down, just slow down And meet with me Rest now, be in the present Here in the blessings of today Listen just for a moment I am the only one with Words to calm your worries Focus your mind on me, I am the way to perfect peace Just slow down, just slow down And meet with me Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Mark. Mark 2:18-22 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?’ Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. ‘No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.’ Our scripture today touches on the practice of fasting. Perhaps this isn’t something you've tried before. Or maybe, the idea of fasting brings up some difficulty for you. Take a moment to reflect on your own relationship with fasting over the years. What might God want to show you afresh about it today? As long as the bridegroom (Jesus) was present, the disciples were not expected to fast. During a wedding celebration the ordinary cares and duties of life are put aside. Where in your life today do you experience God as present, like this? In what ways today do you rejoice in God’s presence? Jesus’s message is like new wine, exhilarating, radical, fresh. As you listen again, smell the bouquet and taste the quality of this new wine. Christians look forward to Christ’s future coming. Jesus suggests we should fast in this ‘in-between time’. Can you talk to him now about why this might be? What form this fasting should take? How to avoid being totally caught up in the things of this world, and pay sufficient attention to the things of God? Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.