Contemplative at Home

A 11-minute audio guided meditation with mindful breath awareness.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

God’s mercies never come to an end.

They are new every morning

Great is Thy Faithfulness.

All blessings as you pause with these profound verses. May they be new to you as you pray.

Lissy

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy’s newsletter “The Contemplative Window” or join our Facebook group here

You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

The post Steadfast Love : Lamentations 3 : Guided Meditation appeared first on Contemplative at Home.

A 25-minute audio guided meditation in Luke’s Gospel, Luke 10:38-42, using Imaginative Contemplation.

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I hope this meditation does justice to this rich and most familiar text.

May you have the grace to encounter the Beloved in a new way as you pray here today.

All blessings and thank you so much for choosing to share your sacred space with me. I’m honoured to be here with you.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy’s newsletter “The Contemplative Window” or join our Facebook group here

You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

The post Mary and Martha: Luke 10: Imaginative Contemplation appeared first on Contemplative at Home.

A 19-minute audio guided meditation with text from Mirabai Starr’s translation of The Interior Castle.  

In this meditation I invite you to pray with the wisdom of St Teresa of Avila. Listening prayerfully to the text, you are invited to ask: How is the Lord speaking to me in these words?

Teresa was given a picture of her inner self, her soul, as mansion, a palace, with many rooms. At the center of this palace is the holy of holies, a place where the Holy One dwells, abides, resides.

The text we pray with is this:

“Always visualise your soul as vast, spacious, plentiful. This amplitude is impossible to exaggerate. The soul’s capacity far transcends our imagining. The sun at the centre of this place radiates to every part.” (p45)

“As long as we are on this earth there is nothing more essential than humility. Enter the room of self-knowledge first, instead of floating off to other places. This is the path.(…) It seems to me that we will never know ourselves unless we seek to know God. Glimpsing his greatness, we recognise our own powerlessness: gazing upon his purity, we notice where we are impure: pondering his humility, we see how far from humble we are.” (p47)

“Cultivate humility and self-awareness. Just remember: it is your most important task.” (p49)

(And) “Guard yourselves… against the spirit of evil. It’s aim is to undermine charity and cool the love the friends have for one another.(…) Let’s understand that true perfection means loving God and loving our neighbour. (…)All spiritual rules are nothing but means toward the end of spiritual love.” (p50-51)

The shape of our meditations at Contemplative at Home are very much informed by Ignatian Spirituality. Teresa was alive at the same time as Ignatius of Loyola, and she had a Jesuit Spiritual Director for some of her years, so shared in that formation. I hope that their combined wisdom in this partiuclar format will take you deeper in to the heart of Christ.

All blessings as you pray.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy’s newsletter “The Contemplative Window” or join our Facebook group here

You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

The post The Interior Castle: The First Dwelling: Lectio Divina appeared first on Contemplative at Home.

A 17-minute audio guided meditation in John’s Gospel, John 17:1-4, 10-11, 13, 23, 26, using Lectio Divina.

In Jesus’ final prayer/teaching before he arrested, in John’s Gospel, there is both a summary and climax of the primary messages of John. These messages include: the intimacy or one-ness that exists between Jesus and the Father, the invitation to all Jesus’ followers into this Divine Intimacy and Love, and Jesus’ great desire that his followers will know the joy of living in this relationship.

I hope that you hear the invitation, afresh, to you.

You are invited into Love beyond your wildest imagination. May you have the courage to receive it, to step in.

All blessings.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy’s newsletter “The Contemplative Window” or join our Facebook group here

You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

The post We Are One: John 17: Lectio Divina appeared first on Contemplative at Home.

An 18-minute audio guided meditation in John’s Gospel, John 16:16-27, with questions for reflection.

This meditation takes on a slightly different pattern as we allow the text to open up questions for our spiritual journey.

Firstly we see how Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure, for a radical shift in their relationship to him.

All enduring relationships go through multiple stages of change and development. Some relationships grow, some relationships atrophy. Sometimes what feels like crisis or loss is actually a movement towards growth, a deepening development.

Secondly Jesus desires to instil a sense of hope, and we use these verses to reflect on our own vision and desires. This is an invitation to name what it is that keeps you moving forward.

In this meditation I invite you to consider the following questions as we journey through the text:

John 16:16-18

Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

When have you felt a sense of disorientation or confusion in your relationship with Christ?

Where are you just now – are you able to see Christ, or is Christ hidden from you?

If Christ is hidden from you, are you able to access any kind of faith, hope or curiosity about where this is leading?

How would you describe the texture of your relationship with Christ in this season?

John 16:19-22

 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’?  Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

What future are you hoping for?

In a spiritual sense, what is your direction of travel?

John 16:23

On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

Can you imagine a state of being in which you have nothing you need to ask for?

What are the deepest longings and cries of your heart?

John 16:26-27

On that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf, for the Father himself loves you.

You are loved by the Father. Rest in that love, dialogue with the One who Loves you.

*****

Any of these questions could take quite some time to answer. Many of them are key questions for spiritual direction. You may wish to revisit them in your journal, or with a soul friend. Don’t feel you need to answer all of them thoroughly today. Let one or two stand out to you, and linger over these.

As the meditation concludes I invite you to notice what stays in your mind and heart. Give that your attention in prayer.

All blessings.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy’s newsletter “The Contemplative Window” or join our Facebook group here

You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

The post Reflecting on Your Relationship With Christ: John 16:16-27: Guided Meditation appeared first on Contemplative at Home.

A 21-minute audio guided meditation in John’s Gospel, John 16:7-13, using Lectio Divina.

John 16:7-13

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.12  I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…”

In this meditation on John’s Gospel, I invite you to join me in taking a ‘long, loving look’ at a few verses of text, beholding the words as living, shimmering, life-giving containers which hold endless layers of wisdom, mystery, beauty and truth.

In these verses, just before his crucifixion, Jesus is preparing his friends for life without him. He has given them a vision, in John 15, of the depths of love that they are invited into, and then warns them that they won’t always be understood or appreciated. That in fact, those who think they know God may even put Jesus’ followers to death, in the name of God. Then – he encourages them with the verses in today’s meditation (see above). The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will bring the voice of the Father, as Jesus had been doing while he was alive.

For me the primary question this leaves us with is: how do I know when I am hearing the voice of the Advocate? How can I be sure that my own convictions come from the Spirit of truth?

This is a question of discernment, and I hope you have wise and grounded people in your life who help you to discern. Any time you’re feeling full of love, and open to correction, I think you’re likely in a good space.

May the Spirit of truth lead into all truth, and all love.

Blessings as you pray.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy’s newsletter “The Contemplative Window” or join our Facebook group here

You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

The post The Spirit of Truth: John 16:7-13: Lectio Divina appeared first on Contemplative at Home.

A 17-minute audio guided meditation in John’s Gospel, John 15:12-17, using Lectio Divina.

In this meditation on John’s Gospel, I invite you to join me in taking a ‘long, loving look’ at a few verses of text, beholding the words as living, shimmering, life-giving containers which hold endless layers of wisdom, mystery, beauty and truth.

Just for these few minutes, I invite you to leave your dogma, your creed, your thoughts, and your rational mind aside, and become present to your deeper self, your true self or essential self. I invite you to a way of unknowing, a place of deep being. 

All blessings as you pray.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy’s newsletter “The Contemplative Window” or join our Facebook group here

You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

The post Love One Another: John 15:12-17: Lectio Divina appeared first on Contemplative at Home.

A 21-minute audio guided meditation in John’s Gospel, John 15:1-11, using Imaginative Contemplation.

We continue our series in John 15 with an imaginative contemplation on the vine and branches, exploring the notion of abiding in God.

Imaginative Contemplation invites us to see the scripture in new ways, to attend to it with different parts of our mind and heart so that the Lord might reveal fresh insights through it. Imaginative Contemplation is a gift of Ignatian spirituality.

This is the third of three meditations on John 15 for July 2024, and probably my own favourite. I hope that it deepens and enlivens your understanding of what it might mean to abide in Christ, to abide in Love.

In this meditation I read John 15:1-11 (I say “verses one to fifteen” but it’s actually eleven – apologies!), and then we move in to a guided meditation on the verses. If you find it difficult to pay attention to every word of the scripture reading don’t worry – you’ll hear the verses you need to hear.

All blessings as you pray.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy’s newsletter “The Contemplative Window” or join our Facebook group here

You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

Photo by Flor Saurina on Unsplash

The post Imagining The Vine and The Branches: John 15:1-11: Imaginative Contemplation appeared first on Contemplative at Home.

A 20-minute audio guided meditation in John’s Gospel, John 8:12-20, using Lectio Divina.

“Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit.”

“Abide in me.”

“Abide in my love.”

“I have said these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.”

This meditation is in the second half of Jesus’ sermon on the vine and the branches.

All blessings as you pray.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy’s newsletter “The Contemplative Window” or join our Facebook group here

You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

Photo by whoislimos on Unsplash

The post Abide: John 15:5-11: Lectio Divina appeared first on Contemplative at Home.

A 17-minute audio guided meditation in John’s Gospel, John 15:1-5, using Lectio Divina.

There are so many layers for reflection in this well-known passage and I invite you to come to it fresh today, open to what nuggets of wisdom might be waiting for you in these images today.

Abide in me, as I abide in you. Perhaps you’d like to link this phrase to your moments of mindful breathing today. Inhale: You abide in me, Exhale: I abide in you.

This episode is specially dedicated to supporter and friend of the show, Ian A. 🙏🏽

All blessings as you pray today.

Contemplative at Home offers guided meditative prayer – space to slow down and listen to the truth that is being born out of God’s love for you today – drawing on Ignatian spirituality and at times, Lectio Divina.

Sign up for Lissy’s newsletter “The Contemplative Window” or join our Facebook group here

You can support the show by sharing it with a friend, rating it on your preferred podcast platform, making a one-off donation or becoming a member. Thank you so much!

All music by Pete Hatch. 

The post The Vine and The Branches: John 15:1-5: Lectio Divina appeared first on Contemplative at Home.