August 2021
A Contemplative Exercise
for August
The following is a possible framework for the Witnessing of the Word. It can be personalised, or altered: its purpose is to serve as an example of how this Saying might be used primarily in the context of a Prayer Group, but it may be used by individuals if so wished. It is not intended to be definitive.
In the context of a group: the periods of silence should be appropriate
for your group - probably not less than 5 minutes, or more than 15 minutes.
Saying for the month
“This is my son whom I have chosen; listen to him” or “This is my Son ….. listen to him”
Luke 9.35 (NIV)
To begin the exercise,
first spend a short while in relaxation and preparing to be still; become aware
of the sounds around you and put them aside; offer this time of prayer to God.
Say this introductory invitation to prayer, then keep a further minute or two of silence:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will
give you rest" Matthew 11.28
Introduction to the first silence - a preparation for listening with the mind:
“This is my son whom I have chosen; listen to him”
There is something profoundly awe-inspiring
about a mountain. It rises out of the
foothills and nothing can move it – it is ancient, utterly solid, imposing –
and on a clear day seems to touch the sky itself. The higher mountains have a succession of
different parts or layers – first there is forest – then higher meadows – then
sheer rock – then the snow line and finally the peak itself.
It is hardly surprising that the Bible
indicates that mountains are the setting for God to show us something of
himself. Moses receives the tablets of
the law on Mount Sinai. Elijah
communicates with God on Mount Horeb in that mysterious murmuring sound. Jesus teaches the people about the way of
the Kingdom of God in the Sermon on the Mount.
And here on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James and John see
Jesus revealed to them in the fullness of his glory – Jesus who is flanked by
Moses and Elijah. Through the mist of
the cloud and the glory comes the voice of God: This is my Son, whom I have chosen, listen to him.
If you have ever climbed a mountain – or stood
looking up at the wonder of a mountain in glorious sunshine, you will be able
to recall its inspiring beauty – and you can well imagine why it was that God
chose mountains to reveal himself.
If you have made the climb, the experience of
the summit can be quite overwhelming – no wonder we speak of a ‘mountain-top
experience’. We can think of a climb
like that as a parable of our spiritual experience – we climb through those
different layers of experience – the forest, the meadows, the rocks, the snow –
and then finally the summit – a fresh illumination of God’s glory – perhaps he
will speak to us there.
To return to the Mount of Transfiguration – it
is a pivotal moment – one which looks back and looks forward.
To look back I find the hairs on my neck
tingling as I read Exodus 24 and 34.
Moses goes up Mount Sinai taking 3 companions with him. A cloud covers the mountain and the glory of
God is there. The special group of 3
are afraid and as they come down with the 10 commandments, and the face of
Moses shines like the sun.
But then, to look ahead. The experience on the mountain seems to me
like a prophecy – a ‘foretelling’ as Jesus reveals himself as the new Moses on
the Mount of Transfiguration, revealing the new way of love and salvation
through suffering and death and resurrection.
Jesus has three companions who fall down in fear as the glory of God is
revealed in the face of Jesus. The
revelation of the glory of Jesus on the mountain, is an astonishing sign of the
glory of the Resurrection and Ascension to come – the Resurrection which
changed the course of the world.
It is remarkable to look back. But also remarkable to look forward. We see in the glory in the face of Jesus,
the very heart of the course of salvation.
So we imagine ourselves there on the mountain with the three disciples and hear the voice of God speaking:
“This is my son whom I have chosen; listen to him”
Or for the time of
contemplation, you may wish to shorten the Saying to
“This is my Son ….. listen to him”
A time is now kept for
silence of the mind - between 5 and 15 minutes
The silence concludes with
a short thanksgiving, and/or repeat the Saying:
Father, we thank you for
the gift of your Word.
“This is my son whom I have chosen; listen to him”
Introduction to the second
silence - a preparation for listening with the heart:
“This is my son whom I have chosen; listen to him”
The voice comes out of the cloud for the
disciples and also for us sometimes. Our
prayer of listening is so important.
Here God spoke to the three chosen disciples on the mountain – but he
also speaks to us, encouraging us to listen – and to listen again..
In our contemplative times, we can enter into
the experience of being on the mountain.
Just sometimes we may have a ‘mountain-top experience’ which can be a resource for us for the days that
lie ahead. But the time comes when we
have to come down the mountain – to descend to our ordinary lives. Note the next verses in St Luke’s Gospel where
Jesus and his three companions are plunged immediately into the bustle, the
controversy and the problems of life.
As we come down the mountain, we return to our
ordinary lives. And in our lives are
times of darkness and humiliation, of awfulness and pain, of bustle and
controversy perhaps. But we can also
look back to times of light and glory and wonder and joy.
We have no idea what the future holds. Jesus seems able to touch all these times –
darkness and light. And Jesus speaks to
us and shows us his love in so many situations in our lives.
The journey ahead is shared by Jesus – the
journey is his as well as ours – and as we journey on he is at our side and we
can listen to him.
See if you can enter into the experience on
the mountain top and look into the face of Christ himself, transfigured on the
mountain. Fall down and worship him
there
It is only in Matthew that Jesus himself
speaks as the disciples fall down – he says to them – Rise and have no fear.
The voice from heaven, though, also stays in
our minds, urging us to receive the light of Christ into our lives – the voice
that says: This is my son whom I have
chosen, listen to him.
We have sought to glimpse the glory of the
transfigured, the risen, the ascended Christ.
This is an experience that you and I can take with us on our journey and
as we ‘come down the mountain’, returning to places and activities which are so
familiar to us.
But now, stay on the mountain in your
imagination. Rest there and listen to God
saying to you:
“This is my son whom I have chosen; listen to him”
Or for the time of
contemplation, you may wish to shorten the Saying to
“This is my Son ….. listen to him”
A time is now kept for
silence of the heart - between 5 and 15 minutes
Conclude the silence with a
short thanksgiving and/or repeat the Saying:
Father, we thank you that your Word is alive and within us.
“This is my son whom I have chosen; listen to him”
Introduction to the time of intercession – we use our will to reflect God’s Word outwards.
“This is my
son whom I have chosen; listen to him”
Or you may wish to
shorten the Saying to
“This is my Son ….. listen to him”
Now we allow God to speak these same words
through us to those for whom we wish to pray.
We can bring to him individuals and situations
that we know well where these is great need
There is such great need throughout our world, and the words of Jesus will speak to each situation
Say the name of a person or a group of people, and
after a short pause, repeat the saying.
Conclude the time of
intercession with words of thanksgiving:
Father,
we thank you that your Word has gone out through us to those for whom we pray.
Use the Fellowship Prayer
or another closing prayer to conclude your time of contemplative prayer.
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank you for all your unsearchable riches which pour forth from you as light from the sun, in boundless profusion and generosity, whether received, ignored or rejected. And now we offer to you, in so far as we are able, as an emptiness to be filled with your divine fullness, ourselves, our souls and bodies; all that we are, all that we have and all that we do. Amen
You may wish to say the Grace together before departing.