SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH BRENTWOOD, NY
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CONNECTING WITH OTHERS ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
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SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH BRENTWOOD, NY
CONNECTING WITH OTHERS ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY |
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MEDITATION : a spiritual
practice during which the mind and body are stilled and one's whole
focus
Do this for a period of at least twenty minutes each morning and
evening. Word Into Silence by John Main, Paulist Press, 1981. The Selfless Self by Laurence Freeman, Crossroad, 1998. Silence and Stillness in Every Season by John Main, Crossroad, 1997. The World Community for Christian Meditation
Web Site: www.wccm.org Josephine Daspro, CSJ There may come a time in a person’s spiritual Spiritual direction is a relationship of mutual trust in which one person
guides another to be more The focus of spiritual direction is not problem-solving although problems may
be discussed. It is The spiritual director usually asks reflective questions, listens attentively
to the response and If you find that you want a deeper relationship with God, or need help in
discerning a call of God to Resources : S. Josephine Daspro, CSJ S. Karen Doyle, SSJ St. Joseph Renewal Center St. Ignatius Retreat House The Upper Room Spiritual Center Pastor Imogene Stulken PO Box 1104
1 – 978 – 934 - 5014
Books: Companions on the Inner Journey: The Art of Spiritual Guidance, Morton T.
Kelsey: Spiritual Direction: A Path to Spiritual Maturity, Robert F. Morneau: Crossroad, NY, 2000 Holy Invitations: Exploring Spiritual Direction, Jeanette A. Bakke: Baker Books, Michigan, 2000 Spiritual Director, Spiritual Companion: Guide to Tending the Soul,
Tilden Edwards: Spiritual Direction: Beyond the Beginnings, Janet Ruffing, RSM: Paulist Press, NY, 2000 Women at the Well: Feminist Perspectives on Spiritual Direction, Kathleen
Fischer:
Ritual
As integrated persons, human beings
worship not only in mind and spirit but
also in body.
All religions have their specific rituals:
Buddhist chants, the Passover Seder, prayers
for the Rituals are holy ceremonies which rise out
of the spiritual context of human experience.
There The use of symbolic objects gives meaning
and beauty to our rituals. Our ancestors
danced Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim, by Edward Hayes, Forest of Peace Books, Easton, KS, 1989 Women’s Prayer Services,
Edited by Iben Gjerding and
Katherine Kinnamon,
Twenty-Third More Than Words: Prayer and
Ritual for Inclusive
Communities, by Janet
Schaffran, Family Prayer for Family
Times, Kathleen
Chesto,
Twenty-Third Publications,
Mystic, Ct., Family Prayer, Dolores Curran, Twenty-Third Publications, Mystic, Ct., 1997
THE LABYRINTH There is no right or wrong
way to walk a labyrinth; you have only to decide
whether to enter it Some suggestions for a labyrinth walk are: Focus:
At the entrance pause and quiet yourself. Try to
become more centered. Experience:
Be attentive to the process of your walk. When you
reach the center Exit:
Turn
and face the entrance. When you reach it turn toward
the center and Reflect:
Consider what you have experienced. Write it in a
journal or symbolize it in Repeat the walk often. The
more you use the labyrinth, the more powerful a symbol
of References: Walking A Sacred Path:
Rediscovering the Labyrinth As a Spiritual Tool,
Lauren Artress, Exploring the Labyrinth : A
Guide for Healing and Spiritual Growth,
Melissa Gayle West, Broadway Books, New York, February 2000 The Healing Labyrinth:
Finding Your Path to Inner Peace,
Helen Raphael Sands,
Clara Santoro, CSJ
Daylight grows shorter and darkness lengthens as we
approach the Winter Solstice. Then the These
dark days of winter in anticipation of the
"rebirth" of the sun were the basis
for pagan feasts and in preparation for the birth of Christ at Christmas and this time includes the solstice and begins the cycle of light over darkness. This year Advent begins on November 30 and ends on Christmas eve. Eventually, Advent became the season,
which opened the liturgical year and
kept alive the desire for the
The O Antiphons—A Deep Longing for the Coming of the Messiah Kathleen Loughlin, CSJ During the season of Advent, Christians pray "Come, Lord Jesus!"
When the third week of Advent
begins, this spirit of waiting and the
anticipation of Christmas and
The "O Antiphons" are
scripturally based short prayers that
are recited or chanted during
Vespers
The "O Antiphons" begin
on December 17 and continue until
December 23. They are prayed
both December 17
Antiphon: "O Wisdom, O
holy Word of God, you govern all
creation with your strong yet
tender
"O sacred Lord of ancient
Israel, who showed yourself to Moses
in the burning bush, who gave December 19:
"O Flower of
Jesse’s stem, you have been raise up
as a sign for all peoples; kings
stand
"O Flower of
Jesse’s stem"—O Radix Jesse—calls
on the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1—
Isaiah’s words
22:22--"I will place the Key of
the
House of David on his shoulder . . . . December 21:
"O Radiant
Dawn, splendor of eternal
light, sun of justice: come,
shine on those who
"O Radiant Dawn"—O
Oriens— is the Messiah who as Isaiah
prophesies –9:1— December 22:
"O King of all
nations, the only joy of every human
heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch
of man,
Again this antiphon
celebrates the Messiah as "King
of all nations" –O Rex Gentium—recalling
"O Emmanuel,
king and lawgiver, desire of
the nations, Savior of all
people, come set us free,
In this last
"O Antiphon," the Messiah
is called "Emmanuel"—confirming
Isaiah’s
These antiphons leading to the
Christmas Vigil—December 24th--prepare
the hearts of believers
Clara Santoro, CSJ
From
time to time we may feel the need of
renewal in order to return to the
daily responsibilities
Retreats may
take place in retreat houses,
hermitages, or in a quiet place
of solitude of our choice.
Most retreats have certain common elements:
ACCEPTING
THE
THE
PROCESS of LECTIO DIVINA
THE
CRY of the prophets to ancient Israel
was the joy-filled command to
"Listen!" "Sh'ma Israel: ONCE
WE have found a word or a passage in
the Scriptures which speaks to us in a
personal way, THE
THIRD step in lectio divina is oratio
- prayer: prayer understood both as
dialogue with God, that FINALLY,
we simply rest in the presence of the
One who has used the word as a means
of inviting Wordless,
quiet rest in the presence of the One
who loves us has a name in the
Christian tradition - Instead
of recognizing that we all gently
oscillate back and forth between
spiritual activity and THE PRACTICE of LECTIO DIVINA · CHOOSE a text of the Scriptures that you wish to pray . · PLACE YOURSELF in a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. ·
TURN
to the text and read it slowly,
gently. Savor each portion of the
reading, constantly listening ·
TAKE
the word or phrase into yourself.
Memorize it and slowly repeat it to
yourself, allowing it to ·
THEN,
SPEAK to God. Whether you use words or
ideas or images or all three is not
important. ·
FINALLY,
SIMPLY rest in God's embrace. Learn to
use words when words are helpful, and
to LECTIO
DIVINA is an ancient spiritual art
that is being rediscovered in our day.
In lectio divina we Note:
This article was summarized and
reproduced by permission of the
author. For the entire Resources: Sacred Reading : The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina by Michael Casey Too Deep for Words: Rediscovering Lectio Divina by Thelma Hall Lectio
Divina: Renewing the Ancient Practice
of Praying the Scriptures
by M. Basil Pennington Praying the Bible: An Introduction to Lectio Divina by Mariano Magrassi Broken Body, Healing Spirit: Lectio Divina and Living with Illness by Mary C. Earle
Mary Walsh, CSJ From
and
early
age,
we
are
often
asked
the
question,
“What
do
you
want
to
be
when
you
grow
up?” Each
of
us
is
called
by
God
to
become
more
Christ
like
and
in
doing
so
to
bring
about
the
Reign
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