Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Here, as stated before, it is my intention to draw from the forthcoming Sunday liturgy and to offer a guided prayer on one of the pieces of scripture in the same way that we have been doing in Exploring Personal Prayer. I do not intend to offer any reflections on the scripture. My suggestion is that you follow the Ignatian structure: preparation for prayer by reading the scripture, going to your prayer place and doing the prayer itself, and then moving away to another place and doing a review of the prayer. Keeping some sort of prayer journal is good practice. Note any moments of consolation in the prayer, where you felt drawn more deeply into God, and moments of desolation, where prayer was disturbed, where you were distracted and pulled further away from God: feelings of attraction and repulsion should be noted. These points may provide areas for repetition of the prayer. Also, if you have a spiritual director or prayer partner, someone who can listen with an ear to where God is in this, it may be worth sharing your prayer with them. I am following the processes outline in the prayer cards above. You may print these onto A6 or A4 card to have in your prayer space to help you become accustomed to this way of praying, remembering it is more of a flow than a rigid structure.
Jeremiah 20:10-13
10 For I hear many whispering:
‘Terror is all around!
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’
All my close friends
are watching for me to stumble.
‘Perhaps he can be enticed,
and we can prevail against him,
and take our revenge on him.’
11 But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble,
and they will not prevail.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonour
will never be forgotten.
12 O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous,
you see the heart and the mind;
let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord;
praise the Lord!
For he has delivered the life of the needy
from the hands of evildoers.
Background music is the album: Keith Halligan – Lifestyle Meditation, Global Journey
Jeremiah what a strong character
In this painting of a farmer’s field
I am looking at some Woden pallets
On which the boxes of grapes 🍇 would be placed when full
But then the picture explodes
5 rows about two metres wide of solid sun ripened white grapes, gone golden
The between each row is a sandy path for the pickers and baskets
All tapering miles ahead into the horizon
I have walked in that picture
In Africa
Although this really is in Europe
Such is heaven for me
Just to stroll along , pick a golden bunch of grapes
Walk along and eat the sweaters grapes every
Not a person in the picture
Then I ask Our Lord to speak to me about the choices I have over the next few months
But I hear silence , I am rejected but not hurting because I new the answer …. wait and see
But was pushing for more
Is that , Lord the entrance to heaven
Just a wonderful spot to be in
Like the place on white beach sand where the wave cracked down and hits the sea shore
And you are the only on who saw it
At that time
Going home ?