Tag: friendship

Wind Chimes: 22 Jan 2013 — Day 5

A Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Readings for Day Five — Walking as the friends of Jesus

Song of Solomon 1;5-8 | Love and the beloved
Psalm 139: 1-6 | You have searched me out and known me
3 John 2-8 | Hospitality to friends in Christ
John 15:12-17 | I call you friends

Quote . . .To walk humbly with God does not mean walking alone. It means walking with those who are those vital signs of God‘s presence among us, our friends. “But I have called you friends.” says Jesus in John‘s Gospel. 2013-WPCU-Readings-and-Prayers

Prayer on Day Five

2013 Week of Prayer (Cover)

Jesus, from the first moment of our being you offered us your friendship. Your love embraces all peoples, especially those who are excluded or rejected because of human constructions of caste, race or colour. Filled with the confidence and assurance of our dignity in you, may we walk in solidarity towards each other, and embrace each other in the Spirit, as children of God. God of life, lead us to justice and peace. Amen.

divider lineImage: School of Theology & Ministry, Seattle University

Wind Chimes: 14 Jan 2013

Friends

What does a question sound like? What does friendship sound like? Today, I hear an important question in the sounding of the chimes. What do you hear?

Could it be true? How will you answer?

Today [Jan 12th] as Cistercians we celebrate the life and teaching of our own Saint Aelred of Rievaulx, a 12th-century monk of Great Britain. In his well-known treatise, Spiritual Friendship, Saint Aelred declares rather boldly that “God is friendship.” This is his own gloss on Saint John’s words, “God is love.” And clearly it expresses Aelred’s own experience of God’s intimacy.

Saint Aelred on the blog of St. Joseph’s Abbey, Spencer MA

Read the entire post (it’s short) to hear the question of the monks. Hear the question of the monks in the glorious sounds of the Good News proclaimed on Sunday (believing that what was true of Jesus and for Jesus is true of us and for us): “You are my Beloved.” (Luke 3:21-22)

Image: Clip art, photos, and animations on office.microsoft.com

Wilderness is the word. Ever been there?

Wilderness is a word that marks the Second Week of Advent 2011. In Sunday’s Gospel selection we heard that “John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness” (Mark 1:4).

In your meditations this week consider the word, WILDERNESS. From the timely meditations offered by Suzanne Guthrie let these words help you:

Meditation One (introit)
the inner desert

There is a physical desert, inhabited by a few exceptional men and women who are called to live there; but more importantly, there is an inner desert, into which each one of us must one day venture. It is a void; an empty space for solitude and testing.

-Frere Ivan The Desert and the City quoted from The Desert, An Anthology for Lent

He [John the Baptist] is in the wilderness. Obviously because he finds these surroundings appropriate to his life- the parched solitude, the endless spaces, where no one can feel at home. Inevitably we keep discovering that we too are in the wilderness, the wilderness of a great city, the wilderness of isolation, a wilderness that seems to have no center, a wilderness we cannot feel at home in. And we are also men and women who would live in a wilderness if we have to give our outward environment the shape of that which is within us.

-Karl Rahner 1904-1984 sermon for Advent 3(B) from The Great Church Year

From Soulwork Toward Sunday: self-guided retreat Advent 2 (Year B) | At the Edge of Adventure blog

Have you ever been in the wilderness? Physically? What did you learn? Spiritually? What did you learn? Are you there now? What are you learning?

Are you ready for a timely word?

In the Forum over the last several weeks we have talked about and learned from Moses, our great ancestor in the faith. Brother Give Us A Word is a daily word of wisdom delivered via email. Here is today’s word, as if Br. Geoffrey was listening in to the Forum discussion:

FRIENDSHIP

“Why have you laid the burden of these people on me…? I’ve had enough. I can’t do it anymore. I cannot carry all these people on my own. They’re too heavy for me. I’m so miserable, I’d rather die…” How is it that Moses…dared to speak to God with such a bold and forthright prayer? It is because Moses had, over time, come to know God in a very intimate way. We are told that Moses walked with God and, a couple chapters later in the Book of Numbers, God says, “I am pleased with you Moses. I know you by name….” Moses talked with God in this way because he was God’s friend.

-Br. Geoffrey Tristram via Brother, Give Us A Word | Subscribe to a Daily Meditation from the SSJE Brothers.

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