Silent Sunday
Yes may it be
In this advent reflection we explore the response of Mary to the annunciation, and what it could mean for us to respond with our "Yes" to the Divine presence and action in our own lives
Opening music:
Introduction Talk:
Quiet Prayer
You can choose between a 10 and a 20 minute time of quiet prayer using the links below. Allow yourself to rest in the quiet openness of receiving God's yes, and saying yes in return. If you find your mind wandering, gently let go of your thoughts and return to the silence and openness of this yes.
Listen to the following music as an ending to the time of prayer:
Lyrics:
My soul shall praise and magnify you Lord,
Yes, I will come. Yes, I have come.
I hear your voice is calling out my name.
Into my life, you shall be born.
All generations praise to hold with me.
This sacred heart, my beating heart.
My soul is placed into this fire of love
Yes, it becomes, God's will be done.
The proud cannot hear beyond their words,
Their thoughts enclosed, so stale and old.
The rich cannot receive what they don’t own,
This emptiness, the spaciousness.
All generations praise to hold with me
This sacred heart, my beating heart.
My soul is placed into this fire of love,
Yes, it becomes, God's will be done.
Spread out the feast, let those in hunger come
Your face be shown, your love made known.
The humble hear your voice, with you they sing
Magnificat. Magnificat.
All generations praise to hold with me
This sacred heart, my beating heart.
My soul is placed into this fire of love,
Yes, it becomes, God's will be done.
Reach out to touch the world that is to come,
Magnificat, Magnificat.
Sacred Reading:
Read the following readings through twice or three times, with an attitude of open receptivity. Allow a few minutes of silence between the readings. Listen for any words that call out to you, or that draw you into the sacredness of silence that is deeper than your usual knowing:
Reading 1: Luke 1:30-38
The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacobʼs descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How can this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lordʼs servant,” Mary answered. “May it be with me as you have said.”
Reading 2: Saying Yes
"All you have to do to walk the path of the ordinary mystic is to cultivate a gaze of wonder and step onto the road. Keep walking. Rest up, and walk again. Fall down, get up, walk on. Pay attention to the landscape. To the ways it changes and the ways it stays the same. Be alert to surprises and turn with the turning of the seasons. Honour your body, train your mind, and keep your heart open against all odds. Say yes to what is, even when it is uncomfortable or embarrassing or heartbreaking. Hurl your handful of yes into the treetops and then lift your face as the rain of yes drops its grace all over you, all around you, and settles deep inside you." ~ Mirabai Starr
For Further Reflection:
Below are the quotes from the talk for you to take this theme further.
Angelus Silesius:
“If Christ were born a thousand times in Bethlehem, and not in you, you remain lost”.
Meister Eckhart:
"We are all meant to be mothers of God...for God is always needing to be born."
From Mary’s prayer, Luke 1:52-53
"The Lord has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts, bringing down rulers from their thrones but lifting up the humble. The Lord has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.”
Ending music:
Song lyrics:
There is a love rooted deep in us,
It wants to grow and grow and grow
All it needs is for our life to shine
And when tears come to let them flow
Oh Love, oh Love grow inside of us,
Oh Love make your way
Oh Love show the world
That it bears your holy name
I say yes in the silence,
I say welcome in my being
I say yes I’ll be a home
For God’s love to make its way
Oh Love, oh Love grow inside of us,
Oh Love make your way
Oh Love show the world
That it bears your holy name
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