Saturday 14 October 2023
Welcome to the Saturday Examen.
As you begin your prayer time today, make yourself comfortable in your chair, and place your feet firmly on the floor or ground.
Close your eyes and listen for a while to the sounds around you.
Become aware of the rhythm of your breathing.
Notice how you are right now, as you begin to enter into the Lord’s presence.
There will now follow a sentence or two of scripture from each of our readings from the past week. As they are read, ask the Lord to be with you as you recall your times of prayer. There will be a pause for recollection after each reading.
If you are hearing these readings for the first time, notice which one most speaks to you today.
But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.
He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.’
They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my special possession…
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’
As you recall some times of prayer from the week, speak with the Lord about these moments and why they were or are meaningful to you.
Spend some time now, holding on to the words which were most important to you today, perhaps as if you are holding treasure in your hands.
Imagine now that you put these words in your pocket to revisit or savour later.
Spend a while now thanking the Lord for his presence with you during the past week and commit your week ahead into his care.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.