February 2021 Prayer Page by Ronnie Parton
Human Becoming
A Meditation
Jesus’ humanity, like ours, was formed and developed as he grew into his experience of himself, the world and God. The experiences of fear, trials, faith, doubt and hope and at the same time the experiences of being strengthened, comforted and enabled by the Spirit – Jesus was wholly and holily human. That is what we are called to be too, what we try to be by following Jesus’ example in living out our relationships with ourselves, others, and our world, in spite of our failures, sickness, grief and hurt. We need to continually discover that we are held by an unbreakable love. And allow ourselves to be transformed by the “God-is-love” love to become more and more Jesus shaped, more and more human.
(Adapted from: Paul Fromont in Refresh: Journal of Contemplative Spirituality Vol 22, No 1. Winter 2020)
Some thoughts to ponder:
God speaks: “Tell me about travelling reverently through the heart of every person I place in your path”. I ask: “through the heart of everyone? Surely, you don’t mean everyone?” Silence. (Carol Lynn Pearson)
Rumi considered himself to be the guest house of God.
Mary’s yes changed her life – an ordinary life made sacred but remaining mostly the same. When she said “yes” she allowed God to deepen the shape, the content of her already given life. When we say “yes” the invitation is to see our ordinary roles as sacred, deepening the life we have already been given. (Catherine Wiecher Brunell)
Pope Francis leads us in discovering that if we answer God’s call and do God’s will there will be plenty of people to angrily criticise not just our actions but our very selves.
St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta advises us to stay where we are in our given lives and to find our own Calcutta. Which, as often as not, is in the very ordinary of our daily living.
God speaks to me
From Ash Wednesday – 17th February
Perhaps very simply, with this thought from Mirabai Starr, we can lift our gaze, move our meditation from ourselves outwards towards our broken world.
“The mending of the world means…slowing down enough to let the pain of the world all the way into our hearts, allowing our hearts to break open, and acting from that broken-open space.”
And then add a musical meditation
HEAL US NOW – Leon Sher https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daTqBc5UnXw
R’fa-e-nu Adonai v’nei-ra-fei
Ho-shi-ei-nu v’ni-va-shei-ah
El karov l’chol kor-av
Ach ka-rov li-rei-av yish-o
We pray for healing of the body.
We pray for healing of the soul.
For strength of flesh and mind and spirit.
We pray to once again be whole.
CHORUS
El na r’fa na Oh, please heal us now!
Refuat hanefesh, refuat haguf, refuah sh’leimah Heal us now!
Hoshia et ah-mecha u-vareich et nach’la-techa
Ur’eim v’na’a-seim et ha-olam
Mi sheberach avoteinu
Mi sheberach imoteinu
Ana Adonoy hoshi-ah na
We pray for healing of our people.
We pray for healing of the land.
And peace for every race and nation,
Every child, every woman, every man!
CHORUS