Our Dear Retreat Day 3 Doxology giving glory to God

Transcription

1 Our Dear Retreat Day 3 Doxology giving glory to God MORNING Begin your morning prayer by your crèche in silence. Recall day 1: Here, in the humble manger, is the mystery we call God. Recall day 2: Here in this poor barn is God: Father, Son, Holy Spirit; mother, redeemer, sustainer. If we truly believe this, there is only one response: Doxology, which is the living language of faith in which praise is offered in gratitude for the abundance of God s generous love, is the proper response to the revelation of God s ineffable existence as self-imparting love and communion. LaCugna, p. 324 Give glory to God in whatever way rises up in you. The following hymn is a suggestion: How Great Thou Art O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder, Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made; I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee, How great Thou art, How great Thou art! When through the woods, and forest glades I wander, And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees. When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur, And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze. And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing, Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in; That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin. When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation, And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart Then I shall bow, in humble adoration, And then proclaim: My God, how great Thou art!.

2 Let thoughts of gratitude and praise rise up in you: about your childhood, about your family and friends, about your ministries, about the SHCJ, about the many ways God has been born in you. If you wish, articulate prayers of thanksgiving. Closing Prayer: Blessed be Christ our Lord who has come to bring light to those who live in darkness. Christ, who came as God among human beings, grant us a share in your divine life. Christ, adored by both shepherds and wise men, Bring all to the richness of faith and trust in you. Christ, who came to bring help to all who suffer, give your peace to the sick and to those in trouble of any kind. Christ, the rising sun, show us your light. Thou art the Light...

3 NOON Again, begin your time of prayer by sitting quietly by your crèche. You have spent much time gazing at this child, his parents, the others who came to visit. Now, think of the gaze going the other direction; the face of God whom we seek is already turned toward us. LaCugna, p. 331 Our incarnational gaze is almost always that of God choosing to be one of us, to become a human being. But there is a very significant complement to this. Karl Rahner would insist that the other side of the incarnation is that we would understand God s desire that we become divine, one with God. Divine becoming human so that human can become divine. This is the entire purpose of the incarnation. This is the goal of the journey. This is the meaning of grace. This is what we learn in the Gospels. O wonderful exchange! In the antiphon at vespers for January 1, the Latin phrase is: O admirable commercium! What admirable exchange! Humankind s Creator, taking on body and soul, in his kindness, has been born from the Virgin; and coming forth as man, yet not from man s seed, he has lavished on us his divinity. Roman Breviary Spend time reflecting on this: How is God calling me now to be more and more divine? Who has known the mind of God? Oh the depths of the riches of God. And the breadth of the wisdom and knowledge of God. For who has known the mind of God? To Him be Glory forever A virgin will carry a child and give birth. And His name shall be called Emmanuel. For who has known the mind of God? To Him be Glory forever The People in darkness have seen a great light: For a Child has been born, His dominion is wide For who has known the mind of God? To Him be Glory forever. Who Has Known, John Foley S.J.

4 EVENING Opening Prayer: At the name of Jesus, every knee must bend in heaven and on earth and so, we pray, Come, let us adore. I fall on my knees to the father of Jesus, The Lord who has shown us the glory of God. May he in his love give us strength for our living The strength of his spirit the glory of God. Refrain: May Christ find a dwelling place of faith in our hearts. May our lives be rooted in love, rooted in love. May grace and peace be yours in God our father and in his son. Refrain I fall on my knees to the father of Jesus, The Lord who has shown us the glory of God. Refrain Dwelling Place, John Foley Bring to this prayer time any of the Christmas-Epiphany readings, songs, poems, symbols that are special to you.

5 Tell those you are with what they mean to you... how they are or have become part of your understanding of the incarnation... mystery, communion, doxology Closing Prayer: Lord. You are with us tonight as our guest, our child, our neighbor. We can be filled with your joyful calm. We are never to be alone again; nothing can separate us from your care. We accept anew our lives in you; for a child is born to us. A son is given to us; he is peace that has no end. Amen.