I Am with You Always
Matthew ends this week’s Gospel, Matt 28: 20, with the line ‘And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age’. This verse serves as a powerful reassurance of Jesus' perpetual presence and support. Knowing that Jesus is always with us gives courage and strength to face challenges and persecutions. It reassures us that we are not alone in our mission of building God’s kingdom on earth.
For us today, this verse is a reminder that Jesus' presence is not confined to the past but is a present reality. It speaks to the intimate and personal relationship that Jesus offers to each of us. In times of joy and sorrow, in success and failure, Jesus is with us, providing guidance, comfort, and support.
He is with each of us through His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us. The Holy Spirit helps us understand Scripture, guides our decisions, and teaches us about God's will. The Holy Spirit equips us with spiritual gifts for service and ministry.
I believe the best way to access the Holy Spirit is through a life of prayer. Prayer is communication with God. We pray through the sacraments, particularly the Holy Eucharist and the heritage of the spiritual fathers. St Benedict, teacher of prayer, teaches us two particularly powerful techniques, Christian Meditation and Lectio Divina.
Through the disciplined silence of Christian Meditation and the insightful reading of the Bible we embark on a contemplative journey of communication with the Holy Spirit within us. Contemplation leads us to self discovery and other-centredness. Today, probably more than ever, we need this contemplative prayer to break free of the materialism and crises that dominate the modern world.
This form of prayer not only anchors us in a deeper spiritual reality but also transforms our perspective, helping us to see beyond the superficialities of contemporary life. As we engage in these ancient practices, we open ourselves to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, fostering inner peace and a profound sense of connection with God and others.
This is why in 2015 we founded our prayer group, Bible Circles Meditation, promoting the formation of small prayer groups, we call circles, that meet weekly to practice Christian Meditation and Lectio Divina. And we are at present trying to develop a fledgling prayer centre, at a dedicated part of our home. A centre to promote the teaching and practice of these two powerful prayer techniques.
Our concept is every home can be a form of a modern day monastery where the family becomes a praying family that adapts St Benedict’s rule of ‘work, pray and study’ to a contemporary family setting. We hope you can join us in this mission.
NOTICE BOARD
I like what you said about how Christian Meditation and lectio divina can transform every home into a modern day monastery where the family becomes a praying family.