Author: Jonny N
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Annunciation
She wasn’t ready for this.She may have been sleeping,Or just waking up. Me? She asksBut I’m still young,No one notices me much. You are seen,Declares the light.Seen and trustedTo carry and to bring to birthThe Light of Creation. Then may it be soShe quietly respondsWondering what her yes will mean. If she looked around She would…
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Echos from the edges of time
comfort, comfort,a sound in desolate places.create space,divine presence — imminent. [Is.40.1 remix]
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Breath prayer, after Psalm 34 (lectionary, All Saints)
I live and breathe God…My lungs expand with praise” from Psalm 34.1&2 (MSG) I take a deep breath now.Every moment a gift from you.Every expansion of my frame honours you.Every inhale a thanksgiving.I breathe out in grateful-trust. I continue,I breathe in, “I thank you”And exhale, “I trust you (to provide)” Each inhale a gift.Each exhale…
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Let not our souls be busy inns …
Lord, let not our souls be busy inns that have no room for thee or thine,But quiet homes of prayer and praise,where thou mayest find fit company,Where the needful cares of life are wisely ordered and put away,And wide, sweet spaces kept for thee;where holy thoughts pass up and downAnd fervent longings watch and wait thy…
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Step back and take the long view
[The following homily is sometimes called ‘a prayer of Oscar Romero’ it is infract written composed by Bishop Ken Untener of Saginaw and was drafted for a homily by Card. John Dearden in 1979. The words remain poignant today. Oscar Romero was the Archbishop of San Salvador and was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating…
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Grace, commissioning and ‘not-ok’ (Lectionary, Pentecost)
I tend to loop through the Sunday lectionary for my daily reading. This week we’re approaching Pentecost, and John 20.19-23 was my reading this morning. I noticed Jesus coming to the disciples hidden behind locked doors in fear. He’s not waiting for them to be ok, or to get sorted. His presence with them is…
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Online Spiritual Direction
Well over half the spiritual direction sessions I run are online. I’ve found platforms such as: Skype, FaceTime and Zoom (amongst others) very helpful in facilitating space for spiritual direction conversations, and enables me to connect with people across the country and around the world. Perhaps you’re wondering if engaging with a spiritual director over…
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Centering: Be Still
When we make time to rest, to pray and to meditate we can often find it difficult to simply stop. We notice an inner inertia — our thoughts, desires and activity seem to have an on going momentum. So, it is helpful to bring ourselves to pause in order for us to be able to…
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Psalm 127, a meditation (Lectionary, Lent 4)
This week as I settled into prayer I returned to the words of this Psalm. As you gaze and meditate on the words, which words stand out to you? This week it was the words “unless the Lord…” which seemed to have the most resonance for me. I allowed them to come into sync with…
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A prayer, after Psalm 29 (Lectionary, Epiphany 1)
You who carve canyons,You who brood over wild waters,We gaze on your creation in wonder.This your temple, in which we cry — Glory!Mighty and majestic; wild and untamed,Lightening and thunder have nothing on you.Yet, to what can we compare you? Give strength to your people today.To all who fast and pray, to all who sing…