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MEDITATION : a spiritual practice during which the mind and body are stilled and one's whole focus
 is turned toward the Divine Mystery.

  • Sit still and quietly.
  • Close your eyes and simply be.
  • Choose a word (mantra) sacred to your tradition.
  • Repeat the word interiorly.
  • Try continuing to focus without distraction.
  •  Return to your mantra and refocus when you are distracted.

Do this for a period of at least twenty minutes each morning and evening.

Resources:

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

SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

Josephine Daspro, CSJ

There may come a time in a person’s spiritual
journey when she/ he feels the need of a
companion or guide to help with the process. 
This can lead to a search for a spiritual director. 
The spiritual director is someone who accompanies
another in the search for greater intimacy with God.

Spiritual direction is a relationship of mutual trust in which one person guides another to be more
aware of God’s revelation in his/her life and to experience it not only in the head but also in the heart.
The spiritual director helps the directee to express feelings and struggles, to notice God’s presence in 
his/her prayer life and to be aware of the changes effected by that discernment. It is a way of helping 
another grow in intimacy with God and live out the results of that insight.

The focus of spiritual direction is not problem-solving although problems may be discussed. It is 
about listening carefully to what a person freely shares and helping the person notice God’s 
movements in the events of life and prayer, and providing a non-judgmental space in which the 
person can explore this.

The spiritual director usually asks reflective questions, listens attentively to the response and 
encourages the person to pay attention to challenges, feelings, and hopes in order to perceive God’s 
invitations in them. The director also assists the person to recognize resistances and roadblocks.

If you find that you want a deeper relationship with God, or need help in discerning a call of God to 
you, spiritual direction may be a help. The director will be a companion on life’s journey.

Resources :

S. Josephine Daspro, CSJ                       S. Karen Doyle, SSJ

St. Joseph Renewal Center                       St. Ignatius Retreat House
1725 Brentwood Road                               Searingtown Road
Brentwood, NY 11717                                Manhasset, NY 11031 
631-273-1187 Ex.43                                  1-516-621-8300 Ex 25                     

The Upper Room Spiritual Center            Pastor Imogene Stulken

PO Box 1104                                               1 – 978 – 934 - 5014
W. Bangs Avenue & Ro 33                             www.Imogene Stulken@uml.edu
Neptune, NJ 07754 –1104 
1 – 732 – 922 – 0550

 

Books:

Companions on the Inner Journey: The Art of Spiritual Guidance, Morton T. Kelsey: 
Crossroad, NY, 1996

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: 
Paulist Press, NY, 2001

Spiritual Direction: Beyond the Beginnings, Janet Ruffing, RSM: Paulist Press, NY, 2000

Women at the Well: Feminist Perspectives on Spiritual Direction, Kathleen Fischer: 
Paulist Press, NY, 1988

Taize Prayer

                                                                          Marie Mackey,CSJ

 

History:    In the 1940's a young man wandered through the countryside of France desiring
                 solitude, reconciliation, and peace amidst the devastation of the Second World 
                 War.  He gathered around him other men who had a similar yearning.  This group
                 of eight brothers founded by Brother Roger created an ecumenical community and
                 situated themselves in a tiny village called Taize.  At the center of their community
                 is the Church of the Reconciliation.
                 
                 Since its founding, the community has increased to over one hundred brothers.
                 Each year tens of thousands of young people in their thirties and forties flock to 
                 Taize to join the brothers and other pilgrims in prayer and song.

Prayer style:        Because of the diversity of people who come to pray at Taize, the brothers
                   with the assistance of composer Jacques Berthier and Joseph Gelineau, S.J., 
                   have created simple chant refrains referred to as Taize Chants.  The chants are
                   brief and repetitive, written and sung in English, Latin and many other languages
                   to accommodate the different cultures and varying Christian traditions of the 
                   brothers as well as to ensure maximum participation of the pilgrim community.

                   The music of Taize along with a setting of many small votive candles, icons,
                    greenery and the central image of Christ crucified create a prayerful, contem-
                    plative environment for home, small community or large congregational common
                    prayer.  Taize prayer also includes scripture readings and periods of silent 
                    meditation.

Resources:       CD's and cassettes are available from 
                                                GIA Publications,Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave
                                                Chicago, Illinois 60638
                                                                                       or your local religious articles store.

* Joy on Earth        *Benedecid Al Senor        *Ubi Caritas        * Alleluia        * Jubilate
* Venite Exultemus                 * Songs and Prayers from Taize           * Laudate

Taize: That Little Springtime is a 26 minute color video that profiles the community and
was aired on PBS stations across the United States. (Journey Communications)

Praying With The Songs of Taize is a 48 minute color video that highlights young adults
from several different countries, and a family who uses Taize songs to pray daily.
( GIA Publications)

 Ritual
                                                                    Clara Santoro, CSJ

As integrated persons, human beings worship not only in mind and spirit but also in body.
As whole persons, we have a natural tendency to act out or solemnize our deepest 
experiences. Our prayer is enriched by ritual.
Rituals are rites or ceremonies that enable
us to connect with what is meaningful in our lives and share it to focus on the Divine Presence at 
the center of our living and actions. They awaken us to the sacred in life and nourish a 
commitment of the heart.

Dance seems to be the oldest human ritual. In prehistoric cave paintings of more than 20,000
years ago human figures in animal costumes appear to be dancing. It is speculated that they
may be performing hunting or fertility rites. Dancing is mentioned in the Bible and until the
Middle Ages, dance was a part of worship services and religious celebrations.

All religions have their specific rituals: Buddhist chants, the Passover Seder, prayers for the
beginning of Ramadan, the Christian Eucharist and Sacraments.

Rituals are holy ceremonies which rise out of the spiritual context of human experience. There 
are rituals around birth, the naming of a child, rites of passage, marriage, the change of seasons, 
death and dying, the blessing of fields and homes and numerous other significant moments .

The use of symbolic objects gives meaning and beauty to our rituals. Our ancestors danced 
and gathered around fires. We still use fire and candles, anointing, water, blessings, music, 
drums and gongs, dance, banners and flags, processions, the bestowal of sacred objects 
such to ritualize our relationship with the environment, one another and God. They touch into
our feelings and emotions as well as our intellects and make the prayer experience moving 
and memorable.
Our rituals may be liturgical and held in a consecrated space such as a church, mosque or
temple, or they may be simple, developed by a small group and held in the holy space of 
the outdoors or in one’s home.
Through the use of ritual we give significance to our human experience and situate it in the
family or community and ground it in the Holy. 

Resources:

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 
Publications, Mystic,Ct, 1987

More Than Words: Prayer and Ritual for Inclusive Communities, by Janet Schaffran, 
CDP and Pat Kozak,CSJ, Copyright 1986

Family Prayer for Family Times, Kathleen Chesto, Twenty-Third Publications, Mystic, Ct.,
1995.

Family Prayer, Dolores Curran, Twenty-Third Publications, Mystic, Ct., 1997

 

 THE LABYRINTH

                                                                       Clara Santoro, CSJ 

The labyrinth is an ancient design that dates back almost 4000 years. It is found in many 
cultures and most probably has always been used in some spiritual manner. It is a symbol 
that relates to wholeness and is a basic metaphor for the journey of life. 

A labyrinth combines the imagery of a circle with that of a spiral and represents the journey 
into our own center and back out again. It should not be confused with a maze with its twists
and turns and dead ends. Rather, a labyrinth has only one path  that leads us in and then out. 
It symbolizes the spiritual journey into one’s deepest self and then the journey back into the
world with a renewed sense of personal meaning and a broader vision.

There is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth; you have only to decide whether to enter it 
and then follow the path. You can walk it alone or with a group. Walk mindful of your life and 
attentive to all that you experience as you walk.

Some suggestions for a labyrinth walk are:

Focus: At the entrance pause and quiet yourself. Try to become more centered.
               A symbolic gesture or bow may help you begin the walk reverently.

Experience: Be attentive to the process of your walk. When you reach the center
              remain there and refocus yourself. Leave only when you feel it is time.
              Remain attentive as you prepare for the return walk.

Exit:    Turn and face the entrance. When you reach it turn toward the center and 
             mark the end of the walk by a gesture or sacred word such as Amen.

Reflect: Consider what you have experienced. Write it in a journal or symbolize it in 
              a drawing.

Repeat the walk often. The more you use the labyrinth, the more powerful a symbol of
transformation it can become for you. There is one path in the labyrinth, but the experience
is different for everyone.

To Walk a Labyrinth visit the labyrinth at St. Joseph Renewal Center , Brentwood, New York.

References:

Walking A Sacred Path: Rediscovering the Labyrinth As a Spiritual Tool, Lauren Artress,
Riverhead Books, new York, June 1966.

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,
Robert Ferre, Barons Educational Series, 200

 

Advent and the Advent Wreath

Clara Santoro, CSJ

Daylight grows shorter and darkness lengthens as we approach the Winter Solstice. Then the
light of the sun seems to grow stronger and the darkness slowly recedes. The rhythms of nature 
deeply influence the rhythms of our lives.

These dark days of winter in anticipation of the "rebirth" of the sun were the basis for pagan feasts and 
rituals, which were later adapted by Christianity. " The Christian word "advent"- adventus- is of pagan origin…
.Pagans observed a manifestation of the divinity that came to dwell in its
temple at a certain time of each year. The feast honoring this divinity was called "adventus."1 Early in the
Christian era, this word was used to describe the coming of the Son of God and with the adoption of
the Christian feasts, pagan festivals were supplanted and forgotten.

For Christians this season of growing darkness is called Advent. It is a time of approximately four weeks 
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
coming of Christ and the fulfillment of his work. Advent became a time of hope. The scriptural readings 
for the season resound with prophetic voices announcing that the Lord is near.

Many customs have developed in the Christian community for the celebration of Advent. Of these, the 
most important is probably the lighting of the Advent Wreath. The origin of this custom is also found in 
the folk practices of pre-Christian peoples. During the cold December darkness Germanic peoples
gathered branches of evergreens and lighted fires as symbols of hope for the coming light of springtime. 
Once again, Christians kept this popular tradition alive and transformed its meaning. By medieval times, 
Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany used the Advent Wreath to express their hope in Christ 
the Light of the World. From Germany the practice spread to other parts of the world.

The Advent Wreath is made of evergreens symbolizing continuous life; the circular form of the wreath, 
having no beginning or end, symbolizes the eternity of God and everlasting life promised  through Christ. 
The four candles placed in the wreath represent the four weeks of Advent. Three are purple and one is 
rose. Each Sunday one candle is lit, the purple ones symbolizing the prayer and penance during this
time of preparation and the rose one, lit on the third Sunday, symbolizing the rejoicing because the
preparation is half over and Christmas is near.

This tradition helps us to remain focused on the purpose of the pre-Christmas season and not lose
sight of the true meaning of Christmas amid the bustle, tinsel, and commercialism which exploit it.

 1Days of the Lord: The Liturgical Year, Volume 1, p.24, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, 
Minnesota, 1991

Resources

Days of the Lord: The Liturgical Year, Volume 1, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1991

"The History of the Advent Wreath," Saunders, Rev. William, Arlington Catholic Herald

Catholic Encyclopedia on Advent, "The Advent Wreath," Catherine Fournier,

Domestic-Church.com

www.catholiceducation.org

Prayers for the blessing of the Advent Wreath may be found in:

Prayers for the Domestic Church, Edward Hays, p.100,Forest of Peace Books, 1979

Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, NCCB, p.110, USCC, 1988

Blessings for God's People, Thomas G. Simons, p.41, Ave Maria Press, 1983

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 Second Coming is crystallized by praying the "O Antiphons" and lighting the rose candle—
a symbol of joy—in the Advent wreath.

The "O Antiphons" are scripturally based short prayers that are recited or chanted during Vespers 
of the Liturgy of the Hours. Each antiphon highlights a title for the Messiah and a Messianic
prophecy of Isaiah. These "O Antiphons" have been part of the Church’s liturgical prayer since
the 8th or 9th centuries and express the community’s deep longing for the coming of the Messiah.

The "O Antiphons" begin on December 17 and continue until December 23. They are prayed both 
at the beginning and the end of the Canticle of Mary, and celebrate the coming of the Lord in a
unique way.

December 17

Antiphon: "O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender 
care. Come and show your people the way to salvation."
This antiphon celebrates the Messiah as "Wisdom"--O Sapientia--recalling in part Isaiah’s
words—28:29 —"Wonderful is His counsel and great is His wisdom."

December 18: 

"O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave
him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free."
The Messiah’s title of "O Lord"—O Adonai-- echoes Isaiah 33:22—"Indeed the Lord will be 
there with us, majestic; yes the Lord our judge . . . ."

December 19:

"O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raise up as a sign  for all peoples; kings stand 
silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come let nothing keep
 you from coming to our aid."

"O Flower of Jesse’s stem"—O Radix Jesse—calls on the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1—
"But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse . . . ."

December 20: 

"O Key of David, O Royal power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of Heaven:
Come break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the 
shadow of death; lead your captive people into freedom."

Isaiah’s words 22:22--"I will place the Key of the House of David on his shoulder . . . .
" foreshadow the title of "O Key of David"—O Clavis David--as a title for the Messiah.

December 21:

"O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who 
dwell in darkness and the shadow of death."

"O Radiant Dawn"—O Oriens— is the Messiah who as Isaiah prophesies –9:1—
". . . upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone."

December 22:

"O King of all nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, 
come save the creature you fashioned from the dust."

Again this antiphon celebrates the Messiah as "King of all nations" –O Rex Gentium—recalling 
Isaiah’s words—9:5 " They call him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, 
Prince of Peace."

December 23:

"O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come set us free, 
Lord our God."

In this last "O Antiphon," the Messiah is called "Emmanuel"—confirming Isaiah’s 
prophecy: "the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel."

These antiphons leading to the Christmas Vigil—December 24th--prepare the hearts of believers 
to receive the joy of the long awaited arrival of the Messiah—Jesus, the Christ. As Rev. William 
Saunders concludes: "The ‘O Antiphons’ not only bring intensity to our Advent preparations, but 
bring it to a joyful conclusion."

References:

Saunders, Rev. William. "What are the ‘O Antiphons’? Arlington Catholic Herald.

www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/s-oantiphons.html

www.newadvent.org/cathen/11173b.htm

The Antiphons Of Advent

Retreats

Clara Santoro, CSJ

From time to time we may feel the need of renewal in order to return to the daily responsibilities
of our lives with new zest. We may realize that we are spending all our energies on tasks and not
attending to our deeper needs and our desire for God. It is at these moments in our lives that we
may seek to find a quiet place and withdraw from our ordinary routines and activities in order to 
examine our lives, assess what is happening within us and explore our relationship with God. 
This spiritual experience is called a retreat.

Retreats may take place in retreat houses, hermitages, or in a quiet place of solitude of our choice.
They provide the opportunity to draw apart and spend time in reflection and prayer. We go 
apart to spend time with God realizing that our relationship with God needs nurturing in order to
continue to develop. In the withdrawal from activity into silence and peace, we have the opportunity
to rediscover our inner harmony and clear our perspectives. We can better enter into prayer and 
internalize its place in our life journey. This time away can help us to reclaim our beliefs which may
have become clouded by distractions and fatigue.

There are various types of retreats. 
Some of them are:

  • Private retreats - in which a person prays and reflects in silence and alone.
  • Directed retreats - in which another person accompanies the discernment and prayer of 
    the retreatant and helps him/her in the spiritual quest .(See Spiritual Direction in Archives)
  • Preached retreats-in which a retreat director gives instruction and guidance to a group in a 
    series of talks.
  • Guided Retreats - In which a director gives a daily talk and selected materials to be used
     for personal reflection.

         Most retreats have certain common elements:

  • A change of environment
  • A withdrawal from activity to quiet and silence
  • A shift of perspective

    Whatever type of retreat is chosen, it provides the time and space to open one’s
    heart and mind to the presence of God and to reflect on and refocus one’s life in 
    the light of that presence.

    There are many retreat centers available and those in your area may be located 
    through the use of search engines.

    Some retreat centers in the Long Island area are:

    St. Joseph Renewal Center 
    1725 Brentwood Road
    Brentwood, New York 11717
    631 – 273 –1187

    St. Ignatius Retreat House                                                Bishop Molloy Retreat House
    251 Searingtown Road                                                     86 –45 Edgerton Blvd.
    Manhasset, New York 11030                                           Jamaica Estates, New York 11432
    516 – 621 – 8300                                                              718 – 739 – 1229

    Cenacle Center for Spiritual Renewal                            Cormaria Retreat House
    154 – 27 Horace Harding Blvd                                        Bay Street
    Flushing, New York 11367                                               Sag Harbor, New York 11963 
    718–463-2073 
     
    www.easternpoint.org 
    www.csjretreatcenter.org
                                                                    631 - 725 -4206


    Celtic Spirituality

    Joan Heptig,CSJ

    One of the underlying realities of life is the unity that binds each of us to all other beings in this vast 
    universe, linked in life as well as death, in wholeness as well as fragmentation.

    Embodying this unifying vision is an ancient spirituality traced to the Celtic people of Wales, 
    Scotland and Ireland, that embraced the community of all beings as a tapestry woven of many 
    threads, a mosaic created of many tiles, a symphony born of many notes and movements.

    Originally a nature religion, Celtic spirituality embraced wholeheartedly the message of Christianity 
    even seeing Christ as the great Druid over all. Through pilgrimage, learning, the arts, community, 
    equality and prayer the Celtic people enfleshed an astonishing belief of Christianity: the "imago Dei",
     the image of God within all creation.

    They did this in the daily work and play of their lives tilling fields, baking bread, teaching, weaving 
    cloth, birthing animals, telling stories, singing songs, making love, making peace, forgiving wrongs, 
    smooring the night fire, intoning prayers that accompanied every daily action they undertook. It is in
    the Carmina Gadelica a massive collection of oral prayers gathered over a lifetime by Alexander
    Carmichael, that we have the privilege of glimpsing this way of life.

    Even as terrorism, famine and persecution haunted them throughout the centuries, the Celts were
    never ultimately destroyed. In the midst of unrelenting trials they held fast to their twin books of 
    Revelation: the Bible and creation. Meeting the goodness, grace and salvation of God through the 
    goodness, grace and saving power at the heart of existence, the Celtic people endured with 
    steadfast courage.

    A kind of perfect reconciliation exists to this day between Celtic spirituality and the world as we
    know it. It is in the daily moments of our lives that we encounter the astounding mystery and 
    meaning of God made flesh in our midst.

    Resources:

    Listening for the Heartbeat of God, J. Philip Newell, Paulist Press, 1997

    The Music of What Happens, John J. O"Riordain, St. Mary’s Press, 1996

    Every Earthly Blessing, Esther de Wall, Morehouse Publishing, 1999

    The Celtic Way of Prayer, Esther de Wall, Doubleday, 1997

    The Book of Creation, J. Philip Newell, Paulist Press, 1999

    How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill, Doub

    ACCEPTING THE
    EMBRACE OF GOD
    THE ANCIENT ART of LECTIO DIVINA

     Fr. Luke Dysinger, O.S.B. 

                                                        THE PROCESS of LECTIO DIVINA  

    A  very ancient art, practiced at one time by all Christians, is the technique known as lectio divina -
     a slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures which enables the Bible, the Word of God, to
     become a means of union with God…The art of lectio divina begins with cultivating the ability to 
    listen deeply, to hear "with the ear of our hearts"…This gentle listening is an "atunement" to the 
    presence of God in that special part of God's creation which is the Scriptures. 

    THE CRY of the prophets to ancient  Israel  was the joy-filled command to "Listen!" "Sh'ma  Israel:
     Hear, O Israel  !" In lectio divina we, too, heed that command and turn to the Scriptures, knowing 
    that we must "hear" - listen - to the voice of God, which often speaks very softly. In order to hear 
    someone speaking softly we must learn to be silent. . The practice of lectio divina, therefore, 
    requires that we first quiet down in order to hear God's word to us. This is the first step of lectio 
    divina, appropriately called lectio - reading.   

    ONCE WE have found a word or a passage in the Scriptures which speaks to us in a personal way, 
    we must take it in.  We must take in the word - that is, memorize it - and while gently repeating it to 
    ourselves, allow it to interact with our thoughts, our hopes, our memories, and our desires. This is 
    the second step or stage in lectio divina - meditatio. Through meditatio we allow God's word to 
    become a word that touches us and affects us at our deepest levels

    THE THIRD step in lectio divina is oratio - prayer: prayer understood both as dialogue with God, that
     is, as loving conversation and as consecration, prayer as the offering to God of parts of ourselves
     that we have not previously believed God wants. In this consecration-prayer we allow the word that
    we have taken in and on which we are pondering to touch and change our deepest selves. In this 
    oratio, this consecration-prayer, we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of 
    God.  

    FINALLY, we simply rest in the presence of the One who has used the word as a means of inviting 
    us to accept a transforming embrace. 

    Wordless, quiet rest in the presence of the One who loves us has a name in the Christian tradition - 
    contemplatio, contemplation. Once again we practice silence, letting go of our own words; this time 
    simply enjoying the experience of being in the presence of God.  

    Instead of recognizing that we all gently oscillate back and forth between spiritual activity and 
    receptivity, between practice and contemplation, we today tend to set contemplation before 
    ourselves as a goal - something we imagine we can achieve through some spiritual technique. 
    We must be willing to sacrifice our "goal-oriented" approach if we are to practice lectio divina, 
    because lectio divina has no other goal than spending time with God through the medium of God’s 
    word. 

    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
     for the "still, small voice" of a word or phrase that somehow says, "I am for you today." 

    ·        TAKE the word or phrase into yourself. Memorize it and slowly repeat it to yourself, allowing it to 
    interact with your inner world of concerns, memories and ideas. Do not be afraid of "distractions. 

    ·        THEN, SPEAK to God. Whether you use words or ideas or images or all three is not important. 
    Interact with God as you would with one who you know loves and accepts you. 

    ·        FINALLY, SIMPLY rest in God's embrace. Learn to use words when words are helpful, and to 
    et go of words when they no longer are necessary. Rejoice in the knowledge that God is with 
    you in both words and silence, in spiritual activity and inner receptivity. 

    LECTIO DIVINA is an ancient spiritual art that is being rediscovered in our day. In lectio divina we 
    discover our own underlying spiritual rhythm. LECTIO DIVINA teaches us about the God who truly
    loves us. FINALLY, lectio divina teaches us about ourselves. In lectio divina we discover that there 
    is no place in our hearts, no interior corner or closet that cannot be opened and offered to God. 

    Note: This article was summarized and reproduced by permission of the author. For the entire 
    article go to St Andrew’s Abbey Homepage. 

    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 

      

    The Call to Religious Life  

                                                                                 Mary Walsh, CSJ 

    From and early age, we are often asked the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” 
    Usually the person asking the question is exploring with us what job, career, occupation or ministry 
    we may see ourselves doing. But there is another question that is often not asked. What lifestyle, 
    what vocation do you feel called to follow? It is not asked

    Each of us is called by God to become more Christ like and in doing so to bring about the Reign of 
    God. We use the
    Each of us is called by God to become more Christ like and in doing so to bring 
    about the Reign of God. We use the Each of us is called by God to become more Christ like and in 
    doing so to bring about the Reign of God. We use the gift and talents that are uniquely ours to make
    a difference in the world through a particular lifestyle or vocation. All of us are called to be sisters,
    brothers, deacons, priest, married or single. It is through prayer, reflection and conversation with 
    others that we come to the awareness of the vocation Each of us is called by God to become more 
    Christ like and in