Praying the Scripture - Daddy

Opening Prayer

Here I am Lord,
Listening
Speak to me
within my heart and soul.
I am listening.



Romans 8:16 (The Message)
We know who he is,
and we know who we are:
Father and children.

Reflection

God’s desire is for us, all of us, to be with Him.
The only thing we need to do is believe it too.

We don’t have to listen to the man rules –
we don’t have to make ourselves bad, guilty, ashamed –
that is our judgement;

not God’s.

God knows we are human –
we do human things –
He made us –
He loves us.

With love,
what parent has a child so perfect that they never make a mistake?

With love,
what parent disowns a child for a childish mistake?

With love,
what child does not learn from his mistakes?

With love,
what child does not expect to be forgiven?

It is not making the mistake that is sinful,
but the inability to admit our flaws or to ask for help.

Because it is the helplessness,
hopelessness
of being in the wrong place
that allows us to become that lost child who waits for God,
our loving Father,
to pick us up and take us Home.

Contemplation
‘Daddy’
We are pretty comfortable these days with the phrase Children of God. It is a comforting phrase – suggesting protection, belonging and perhaps a little exclusivity.
But often we are guilty of acting -not like the innocent, loving, open-hearted toddler that Jesus so often points to -but rather as a child going through the ‘Kevin the teenager’ stage- how familiar is this?

Only going to the Father when you want something:
Convinced that he doesn’t understand;
Accusing him of not caring:
Telling him what he should do;
Knowing that you know better:
Convinced that you are old enough to make your own mind up:
But – still needing him around to blame when things go wrong’
?

In contemplation, take some time to think about where you are in your relationship with God the Father.
What sort of parent is he – what sort of child are you?
Are you thankful for the relationship just as it is?
Can it be made better?
Spend this time sharing how you feel with God, speaking with the confidence of a little child.
Give thanks for this time as you make your way a little further along your journey of faith.

Closing Prayer
May the blessing of the Sacred Three
The Father who gave us the Word
The Son who is the Word
The Spirit who opens the Word within us
Be with us today and evermore.
Amen

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Listen

Image
Jesus said: ‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’ Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them. So Jesus spoke to them again: ‘I tell you most solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold. All others who have come are thieves and brigands; but the sheep took no notice of them. I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so
Read more

The servant’s name was Malchus.

Image
Easter Midrash  An imagined story of Good Friday  "The servant’s name was Malchus." John 18:10 The servant's name is Malchus. I am not dead yet, rather, far from it. I don't know how others felt when they were healed but the inside of a miracle is a place of light and clarity beyond any new dawn. The complex weaving of skin only reflecting the myriad unravelling of thoughts and memories below the surface. Paths of life's story being made straight. My name is Malchus. Named by my mother. Her bedtime tale that I was named after the appearance, in Jerusalem, of regal scholars from the East. Magi seeking a king who had not yet been born. A slave herself, she had stood holding a lamp as the temple priests and scribes argued amongst themselves; no-one wishing to tell Herod that the prophecy was not for his line. When I was born just a few days later, I became her little 'king'. That's what Malchus means. I didn't thank her for it. Growing up
Read more

The Fourth Shepherd

Image
There are many characters in the story of the Nativity but one that we rarely hear of is the Fourth Shepherd. When the angels came that night to bring the Good News, they began with the most unlikely. Shepherds were a tough lot, weathered and self-reliant,  who had to survive out on the hills protecting their flock from the weather, the wolves and their own stupidity.  Once the shepherds had gotten over the shock and wonder of the glory of heaven shining all around them, they immediately wanted to go and find the baby; the lights of Bethlehem beckoned as brightly as the stars – ‘Come and see’. The could barely stop to wrap their cloaks around them. They took hold of  their staffs and each caught a light from the fire.  All except one. One young shepherd remained seated, looking into the fire. When the others asked him why he wasn’t ready, he replied that he was; he was ready to stay behind and take care of the flock. The other shepherds shook their heads w
Read more