READINGS – 26/09/2014
1) READING
ASPECTS OF LOVE
by Laurence Freeman OSB
The first aspect of love is love of self.
To love ourselves, is to find a middle path between self-denial and self-rejection on the one hand, and self-indulgence and narcissism on the other. Meditation is a middle path. Where, through the power of the Spirit, we learn to accept ourselves as we are, without judgment, without partiality. We come to know ourselves. Then, as we know ourselves, we see beyond ourselves; we see that our true centre is not in ourselves, but in God.
Self-acceptance;
Self-knowledge;
Self-transcendence
2) OPENING PRAYER AND MEDITATION
“Heavenly Father, open our hearts to the silent presence of the spirit of your Son. Lead us into that mysterious silence where your love is revealed to all who call, ‘Maranatha…Come, Lord Jesus’.”
3) 2nd READING AFTER MEDITATION
From ― Thomas Merton, Love and Living
“Love is our true destiny.
We do not find the meaning of life
by ourselves alone – we find it with another.”
4) SHARING, COMMENTS
5) FINAL PRAYER
“May this group be a true spiritual home for the seeker, a friend for the lonely, a guide for the confused. May those who pray here be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to serve all who come, and to receive them as Christ Himself. In the silence of this room may all the suffering, violence, and confusion of the world encounter the Power that will console, renew and uplift the human spirit.
May this silence be a power to open the hearts of men and women to the vision of God, and so to each other, in love and peace, justice and human dignity. May the beauty of the divine life, fill this group and the hearts of all who pray here, with joyful hope. May all who come here weighed down by the problems of humanity leave giving thanks for the wonder of human life. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord. AMEN.”
