Monday
Does Christ Have a Body?
Consider this prayer, first offered by St. Teresa of Avila, a 15th Century Spanish Catholic Nun & Mystic:
Christ has no body but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now bur yours.
Reflect: How does this prayer make you feel? What emotions does it bring up in you? Spend a few minutes paying attention to your heart, and talk with God about whatever surfaces in you.
Embody: How will you respond to the call in these words, today? How will you embody the life of Christ in this world – beginning with the moments in front of you right now?
Tuesday
Prayer in Six Directions
Prayer in 6 Directions Practice
In an unhurried fashion, we invite you to greet the 6 directions in prayer, turning your body in the direction indicated with each prayer movement.
East: We turn to the east and face the rising sun. Praise God for the gift of new life, of new days, of youth, of belonging.
South: Turning towards the south, thanks are given for those people, events, and things which warm our lives and help us to grow and develop.
West: The sun sets in the west, and so we praise God for sunsets, nights, for endings in our lives.
North: As we face the north, we remember the challenges and difficulties in life.
Down: Bending down to touch earth, we praise the Creator for the things which sustain our lives.
Up: Finally, as we gaze into the sky, we thank God for our hopes and dreams. Centered in the Creator’s universe, we remember God’s mighty deeds in our lives and can thus move into the future.
Wednesday
Be Loved, Beloved
Today we invite you to re-center yourself by practicing a 3-minute breath prayer, reminding you to anchor your identity in your deep belovedness in God. Find a quiet place, grab a decent set of headphones, and allow this prayer experience to help both centre and focus you for the day ahead.
Click Here for an audio guide through the “Be Loved Prayer”
Thursday
Poetry and Nature
One of the most soul-restoring practices you can engage in is to immerse yourself in the presence of Jesus through the great big wild and diverse beauty of nature, God’s own creation.
This is true, even in the middle of winter!
Today we invite you into a 6-minute quiet pause; to rest, to be refreshed, and to re-affix your gaze on the God of Wonder who loves you very very much, through this contemplation practice. After you’re done, why not take 10 minutes to stroll outside and witness in whole-life experience the closeness of God through the natural beauty all around you? Even... in January.
Click Here for a 6-minute contemplative experience of Poetry & Nature
Friday
Can You Welcome It All?
Often when difficult things come our way, we try to resist or control them in order to not have life go in ways we wish it wouldn’t go. It’s a natural impulse! But is it possible that in doing that, we miss the opportunity to encounter God right in the middle of the mess?
Today we invite you into a classic prayer practice by Father Thomas Keating known as The Welcoming Prayer. Click Here for a guided video experience, or simply recite the words on your own – as many times as you need – throughout your day.
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
I welcome everything that comes to me today Because I know it’s for my healing.
I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations, and conditions.
I let go of my desire for power and control.
I let go of my desire for affection, esteem, approval and pleasure.
I let go of my desire for survival and security.
I let go of my desire to change any situation, condition, person or myself.
I open to the love and presence of God and God’s action within. Amen.
Ready for what's next?
De-Centering Prayer
I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of a “centering” prayer before – maybe you’ve even tried one – but this morning we’re going to practice something together called a “De-Centering Prayer.”
Three Lies of Identity
In his book entitled, “Who Are We?” late author and priest Henri Nouwen describes three key lies of identity that can mess with our heads and create barriers to us experiencing the love of both God and community. He names these lies as: • I am what I have • I am what I do • I am what other people say or think of me
Gratitude #2
Today we want to engage in the practice of Gratitude. And to do this, you’ll need a physical piece of paper – and something to write with. In our day-to-day lives, it can be easy to focus on whatever feels like it isn’t going the way we want, and slip often into grumbling and complaining. And that behavior can have a very negative impact on our emotional and even physical well-being.