Sharon's Page
Liturgy for the Contrite Heart
--Carl Jung
Opening Prayer:
O Lord, who has mercy upon all, who take away from me my sins, and mercifully kindle in me the fire of your Holy Spirit. Take away from me the heart of stone, and give me a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore you, a heart to delight in you, to follow and to enjoy you, for Christ’s sake. (Ambrose of Milan, c 339-397)
Chant:
Based on Psalm 51:10-13
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. And I will teach transgressors your ways and sinners will return to thee. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Reflection:
The chief task of the contemplative is to enter into his or her heart. To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart. There God’s spirit dwells and there the great encounter takes place. There the heart speaks to heart, because there, we stand before the Lord, all-seeing, within us. –Henri Nouwen
Scripture Reading: Luke 6: 37-42
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
He also told them a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully qualified will be like the teacher. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Friend, let me take out the speck in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log in your own eye?”’
(Reflection Questions on Scripture: “Are my thoughts busy judging the motives of others instead of paying attention to the condition of my own inner life?” Example: “She’s too theatrical.” “He’s just out for himself.” “How could ‘he’ or ‘she’ do this to me!” Such thoughts need not distract us from moving towards the heart of Mercy. If we allow, such thoughts can lead us into deeper listening to the wisdom of the Word. We can surrender these thoughts to God's grace and mercy in silence. By clearing away and letting go of these thought risings through faith makes it possible to open to deeper Spiritual discernment.)
Reflection:
from Richard Rohr’s book Everything Belongs, Crossroad Publishers, NY, 1999
“Who I really am, that’s a place of utter simplicity. Perhaps we don’t want to go back there often precisely because it’s so simple. It feels so unadorned. There’s nothing to congratulate myself for. I can’t prove any worth, much less superiority. There, I am naked and poor and I feel like nothing. The only true perfection available to us is the honest acceptance of our imperfection.”
Litany for Guidance:
In all my wandering,
May the Heart of Jesus Christ be in my heart and be my guide.
In all the inward or outward work that I do,
May the Heart of Jesus Christ be in my heart and be my guide.
In every relationship of my life,
May the Heart of Jesus Christ be in my heart and be my guide.
In solitude and the opening of my heart in unceasing prayer,
May the Heart of Jesus Christ be in my heart and be my guide..
In difficult situations and conflict,
May the Heart of Jesus Christ be in my heart and be my guide..
As I grow and learn along the way in all relationships, close and distant,
May the Heart of Jesus Christ be in my heart and be my guide.
As I become more deeply aware of human vulnerability and the vulnerability of all creation,
May the Heart of Jesus Christ be in my heart and be my guide.
As I place my trust in you and bring my intentions to serve you and my neighbor,
May the Heart of Jesus Christ be in my heart and be my guide.
As I rise and lie down with all creation. Lord, in the day and in the night,
May the Heart of Jesus Christ be in my heart and be my guide.
Closing Chant: “Spirit of the Living God Fall Afresh on Me”
p. 393 in the United Methodist Hymnal, United Methodist Publishing House, 1989
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.
Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
Click on the following links for lighting a 1) candle for prayer, 2) praying with the labyrinth, or 3) walk through a Meditation Garden.
Light a Prayer Candle
Chartres Labyrinth Home Page
Meditation Garden (PDF File, Click to Open Link or Right Click to Save.)
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