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PRAYING THE INVITATION OF LENT: VULNERABILITY, SOLIDARITY AND COMPANIOSHIP
PRAYING THE INVITATION OF LENT: VULNERABILITY, SOLIDARITY AND COMPANIOSHIP
FR. JORDAN ORBE SJ March 7, 2021
from "an ignatian adventure"
from "an ignatian adventure"
Love
We begin by reflecting on God’s faithful, unconditional love for each of us. We consider who we are most fundamentally—or rather, Whose we are. Each one of us is God’s beloved son or daughter: this is the core of our identity.
The Grace I Seek
I pray for the following graces: to be more aware of how God is near; to trust in God’s personal care and love for me.
MEDITATION MUSIC FOR SETTLING DOWN:
You may close your eyes, start by being aware of your breathing, and begin to breath slowly. Listen to the music to help you settle down in prayer, and place yourself in God’s loving presence gazing upon you in this moment of prayer.
read isaiah 43:1-7
read isaiah 43:1-7
Pray slowly over the verses. What words or images move you? Consider: Who is God for me? How does God see me?
Israel’s Only Savior
Israel’s Only Savior
43 But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush[a] and Seba in your stead.
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
For Reflection
Prayer has far more to do with what God wants to do in us than with our trying to “reach” or “realize,” still less “entertain,” God in prayer. This truth eliminates anxiety and concern as to the success or non-success of our prayer, for we can be quite certain that, if we want to pray and give the time to prayer, God is always successful and that is what matters. . . . What we think of as our search for God is, in reality, a response to the divine Lover drawing us to himself. There is never a moment when divine Love is not at work. . . . This work is nothing other than a giving of the divine Self in love. The logical consequence for us must surely be that our part is to let ourselves be loved, let ourselves be given to, let ourselves be worked upon by this great God and made capable of total union with Him.
—Ruth Burrows, Essence of Prayer
END YOUR TIME OF PRAYER BY REFLECTIVELY LISTENING TO THIS PRAYER VIDEO:
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