Guided Meditation: Centring Prayer
A guided meditation introducing Centring Prayer as taught by Fr Thomas Keating OCSO; for use in groups.
“Spiritual journalling”
In essence, a prayer journal is a written record of your relationship with God. Putting things down on paper accesses different parts of the brain, and in the hard times, it may remind you of God’s faithfulness.
Guided Meditation: Jesus visiting Zaccheus
A guided reflection on the story of Zaccheus meeting Jesus; in the style of Ignatian meditation.
“Finding God in all things”
Teach me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see,
And what I do in anything
To do it as for Thee.
— from The Elixir by George Herbert
“Praying continuously”
In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul urged his readers to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5.17). So what does this mean?
Guided Meditation: Shining like the sun
An imaginative meditation based on Thomas Merton’s realisation that all people are walking around shining like the sun; for use in groups.
“Praying with icons”
Many icons depict Jesus, or Mary presenting her son, as gazing directly at the pray-er, inviting eye contact as a way into encounter with the person of Jesus.
“Friendship with God”
Consider your friendship with God. How do you relate to God as you would relate to a friend? What makes a good friendship?
“Accompaniment in prayer”
Spiritual Directors or Soul Friends will not finish the race for us. But they will share the journey and help us notice where God is active in our relationship of prayer and in our daily lives.
“Always beginning in prayer”
We are all always beginning in prayer, and always will be. The true experts in prayer have a beginner’s mind, always open to new possibilities.
“Praying our Gratitude”
Gratitude reminds us of abundance and leads to an attitude of contentment, interdependence, and respect for Creation and Creator.
Guided meditation: Encountering the Depths
An imaginative meditation on Julian of Norwich’s description of her thoughts being led down to the seabed; using the approach of Anthony de Mello in Sadhana; for use in groups.
“Petition through contemplation”
There are two basic blunders that we can make make in praying for ourselves: to be too demanding; and not to ask at all.
Guided meditation: The Common Mind
A meditation on Ephesians 4.11-15, on our common mind and growing up in every way into Christ; in the style of Lectio Divina; for use in groups.
“Contemplative intercession”
Three (very tentative) understandings of what I am doing in intercession as part of my contemplative practice
Guided meditation: The Apostolate of Prayer
A meditation on an excerpt from Encountering the Depths on our co-operation with God in prayer; in the style of Lectio Divina; for use in groups.
“Visio Divina, praying with the eyes of your heart”
The slow reading of a picture may be more helpful to those who find it easier to engage visually with the world rather than through words
“Playful prayer”
Playful prayer – being light-hearted, spontaneous, simply enjoying God – helps us avoid ‘worthiness’ and ploddery.
Guided meditation: Listening
A meditation flowing between listening to our breathing, to exterior and interior, and to God; for use in groups.
“Discerning the path of prayer”
“Pray as you can and do not try to pray as you can’t. Take yourself as you find yourself: start from that.”
“The purpose of prayer techniques”
“Prayer is not a technique but a relationship. There is no unfitness, no obstacle, no problem… All anyone can do for us is to keep our eyes on Jesus…”
Guided meditation: The Search for a Relationship
A meditation on an excerpt from Encountering the Depths on our relationship with God; in the style of Lectio Divina; for use in groups.
“Praying the Lord’s Prayer”
As you read scripture or spiritual writing, one saying or word might strike you. Stop and write it out long-hand. Then ask yourself three questions…
“Praying with three questions”
As you read scripture or spiritual writing, one saying or word might strike you. Stop and write it out long-hand. Then ask yourself three questions…
“Walking and Praying the Labyrinth”
Praying a labyrinth is a journey to the centre. It is akin to walking a winding pilgrim path, taking time to reflect and ponder our interior landscape.
Slow Book Group: Anthony de Mello, Awareness
Some notes on running a one-off group reading Awareness by Anthony de Mello, including questions for prompting discussion and a guided meditation (or two).
Guided meditation: Awareness
A meditation using the list of contents in Awareness by Anthony De Mello; in the style of Lectio Divina; for use in groups.
“Praying the Examen”
The Examen is a way of reflecting prayerfully on your day. It may be a very short prayer, or a period of longer reflection. It may prayed at any time, but is often prayed last thing at night.
“The apophatic way: desiring God in the darkness”
The apophatic, or negative, way of prayer starts with the teaching that God is no thing that we can grasp. God is utterly transcendent and beyond every thing that God has made.
Slow Book Group: Paula Gooder, Everyday God
Some notes on running a group reading Paula Gooder’s book for Ordinary Time: “Everyday God” over six months, holding a space for the members to reflect on the text and how any insights might help them in their prayer life and spiritual journey.
“The kataphatic way: praying with metaphor”
The kataphatic, or affirmative, way of prayer seeks to describe God, and to express what or who God is in terms of what God is like, in order to understand and come closer to God.
Guided meditation: Glimpsing Glory
A meditation on the story of Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with the skin of his face shining after talking with God; in the style of Lectio Divina; for use in groups.
“Pray the Collects and write your own”
Constraints can be a vital source of creativity. They force us to think and release our imaginations. The form of the Collect is a way to collect our intentions in prayer and arrange them.
Guided meditation: The Call to Extraordinariness
A guided reflection on the story of four friends lowering a paralysed man through the roof to Jesus; in the style of Ignatian meditation.
“Praying the Daily Office and the Psalms”
The Church’s pattern of prayer today is a simplification of the eight-fold monastic daily office associated with Psalm 119 v164 “Seven times a day I praise you” and v62 “At midnight I rise to give you thanks”.
Guided meditation: An Ordinary Kingdom
A guided reflection on the parable of the treasure hidden in the field, in different tellings.
“Praying with the Bible – Ignatian meditation”
Praying with the imagination can be helpful if you have spent time in study and want to deepen your encounter with scripture, or if you struggle with the Bible’s content and want a different way in.
Guided meditation: An Everyday God
An imaginative meditation on God as potter; using the approach of Anthony de Mello in Sadhana; for use in groups.
Intercessions, The Eighth Sunday after Trinity 2022
Written for the 10am Eucharist at Exeter Cathedral
“Praying with the Bible – Lectio Divina”
Regular Bible reading and study gives us breadth of knowledge. Lectio Divina helps us also absorb Scripture at depth.
Guided meditation: Unsung heroes
A meditation on the story of the feeding of the five thousand in John’s Gospel; in the style of Lectio Divina; for use in groups.
Providing hospitality, receiving hospitality, sharing space
The story of Mary and Martha is a well-worn sermon topic. What might I have said if I had been on preaching duty last Sunday evening?
“Embodied prayer”
Engaging our body in prayer – praying with the whole person – deepens our attentiveness and enables different intentions in prayer.
Guided meditation: On turning aside
A meditation on turning aside to the miracle of the burning bush; in the style of Ignatian meditation; for use in groups.
“Prayer which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes”
Can we come close to seeing and scenting a spray of the lily of the valley as God might see it? Hearing the chatter of a treeful of sparrows as God might hear them?
“Pilgrimage: Prayer on the Way”
“Pilgrimage is an opportunity to reflect on the journey of our lives, and on our journey homewards to God.” – Devon Pilgrim guidance on the St Boniface Way
Slow Book Group: Maggie Ross, Writing the Icon of the Heart
Some notes on running a group reading Maggie Ross, Writing the Icon of the Heart together. Through slow reading, pondering, and sharing our responses and insights, we sought to discern how the Spirit is calling us to deepen our faith and prayer.
“Praying with a prayer-phrase: Maranatha and the Psalms”
Repeating a short phrase over and over can be a helpful way of holding the surface mind’s attention while the soul encounters God in the depths.
A Month of Psalms
A booklet of psalms that can be recited day by day each month, set to simple psalm chants.
“Distractions in Prayer”
When we enter our prayer time, it is probably not long before we get distracted. But there are preparations we can make and tactics we can employ.
Lunar reflections
During February, while the Cathedral is hosting the Museum of the Moon, what might I have preached in the face of this reminder of my finitude?
“Centring Prayer and the Sacred Word”
We often find our attention wandering in prayer, but over the centuries, people well-versed in the practice have developed techniques that can help us.
He sat down
How sitting down among the people was a symbolic or sacramental action that made the Incarnation real.
“Forming habits of prayer”
How can we make sure we make time for God? Form a habit and find a bridge.
“Waiting on God”
It is hard going against the flow of today’s culture, and waiting for anything. So it might be helpful to think in terms of waiting on God.
“Explore Prayer” for Exeter Cathedral news
You are infinitely loved by God, and God is waiting and longing to be with you. Prayer is simply the expression of our relationship with God.
Slow Book Group: The Cloud of Unknowing
Some notes on running a group reading The Cloud together. Through it, we hoped to gain a deeper understanding of prayer and through that to deepen our own prayer lives and relationships with God.
Life is like a box of tesserae
There is a bi-i-ig difference between jigsaws and mosaics. Jigsaws have only one correct solution. Mosaic tiles can be pieced together in many different ways to create many different images.
Intercessions, The Seventh Sunday after Trinity
Written for the 12.15pm Eucharist at Exeter Cathedral
Psalmathon
This St Peter’s day on 29 June, Exeter Cathedral held a Psalmathon – reading all 150 Psalms in about 8 hours.
Lectio Divina on Zoom
Initially a step into the unknown, group Lectio Divina over Zoom has proved to work extremely well; its very structured format holds open a space for deep encounters with both God and each other.
Where prayer is valid
During the days between Ascension and Pentecost, I found myself ruminating about Exeter Cathedral as building and people, prompted by the lack of access of most people during the Coronavirus lockdown to the church buildings we know and love.
Shared Lectio Divina, Thy Kingdom Come, May 2020
My reflections during shared Lectio on three Bible readings during the period of Thy Kingdom Come.
Explore Prayer
You are infinitely loved by God, and God is waiting and longing to be with you. Prayer is simply the expression of our relationship with God. But it is often mystified or diminished.
I wrote some material about prayer for the Cathedral website, with hope that it will help visitors deepen their relationship with God and draw them closer to the community of praying people in the Cathedral.
Thy Kingdom Come 2019
Thy Kingdom Come is a global wave of prayer uniting Christians around the world during the days from Ascension Day to Pentecost. From 30 May to 9 June 2019, Exeter Cathedral is hosting a special prayer room in the Grandisson Chapel tucked into the West Front. Based on the parable of the hidden treasure, I’ve set up a small installation with a small action to help people pray.
Workshop on “Slow Bible Reading”
I led this workshop on the ancient monastic practice of Lectio Divina, as part of a Prayer & Spirituality Day at Exeter Cathedral.
A prayer story
This is a slightly longer version of an article I wrote for Exeter Cathedral’s monthly magazine, the first in what is hoped to be a regular feature focusing on the prayer lives of members of the Cathedral community. There are as many different understandings and types of prayer as there are different people.
Great expectations
Expectation can be good; having high expectations of students can lead them to do better. People in general tend to live up to or down to expectations. The problem is when the expectations are unrealistic.
Inside and outside the Cathedral
What it means to be the people of God, and the Occupy camp on Exeter Cathedral Green.
Talking about “Prayer”
This evening, I’ve been asked to talk about Prayer, I suppose because I have a practice of contemplative prayer and am about to go and live alongside a monastic community. Trouble is, how do I express the inexpressible? Here is roughly what I want to say.
