Where do I stand this night?

By Melanie Jean Juneau

The Last Supper by Jaume Huguet (Wikimedia Commons).

It is Holy Thursday, the night we celebrate the Chrism Mass.Tonight, churches around the entire globe will wait in  prayerful vigil, with lights dimmed, all images covered with the congregation in respectful, sombre silence. The Church is remembering the end of Jesus’ public life as a teacher and healer and walking with Him as He begins His most important work, the work of salvation in His passion, death and resurrection.

Yet today’s Gospel takes us back to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. He has just emerged from the desert, filled by the power of the Holy Spirit, astonishing crowds with His words. As He stands on the podium in the synagogue to read from the book of Isaiah, repeating the Old Testament reading which we have just heard minutes before, Jesus summarizes His entire ministry in a few short verses.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Continue reading at Melanie's blog Joy of Nine9.

Start your prayer with this image

by Connie Rossini

Detail from The Last Supper by Valentin de Boulogne (photo in Public Domain).

 

Are you tired of your prayer being a shopping list read to God? Are you yearning for something more meaningful? Use this image of John the Apostle leaning on Christ’s heart to place yourself in God’s presence.

Imagine yourself in John’s place. Feel Christ’s peace surround you. Set aside your cares and concerns and immerse yourself in His love.  Offer your love in return.

For some people, this may be all you need to have a heart-to-heart half hour with God. For others, this will be an introduction to prayer, a means of calming yourself and setting aside distractions. You may then prayerfully read a passage from the Bible or other good spiritual book. Talk to Jesus about what you read. Love Him in and through it.

You are now on your way to a rewarding new prayer life.


Originally posted at Connie's blog  Contemplative Homeschool.