“COME WITH ME TO A QUIET PLACE,
AND GET SOME REST.” MARK 6:31
"The apostles gathered round Jesus
and reported to him all they had done and taught.
Then, because so many people were coming and going
that they did not even have a chance to eat,
He said to them,
‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place
and get some rest.’
So they went away by themselves in a boat
to a solitary place."
“Lord, I’m tired. Exhausted.
Sometimes I wonder how I find the strength.
So much to do, and so little time and energy.
And always one thing more,
nagging at the back of my mind like toothache.
Unwelcome, yet hard to ignore.
I buzz around, a frantic fly
battering the window-pane
until I fall exhausted to the sill.
All noise and movement, but so little done.
And in the effort to respond
to all the calls that others make
I find I’m losing touch with you.
The crowds get in between.
The more I do for you, the further off you seem.
A paradox, until I hear your voice,
not asking more of me
but telling me to find a breathing space,
a place to rest.
And in the quiet you are there.
No accusations,
and no suggestions that I could do more.
And as we sit together
I begin to realise that many of the demands I face
are self-imposed. They’re mine.
Born out of ego and the guilt I feel
when I can’t cope comes from my pride,
and not you.
When I’m faced with something
I just can’t find the energy to do,
give me the honesty to face the fact
that maybe you’re not asking it of me.
Eddie Askew
“RETURN TO THE DESERT”
“The desert, in biblical thought, is not a goal but a passing stage.
The journey from Egypt, the Exodus,
the desert had to be crossed to leave behind slavery.
The desert led to freedom." Carlo Carretto
In the Gospels, for Jesus,it was the place of preparation,
and for the Disciples a place to provide respite from
crowds of people or crowded itineraries.
The desert - a place suited to prayer.
The desert is not a lifeless place.
Under the surface of any desert
it is teeming with life.
Find your desert to make discoveries of life in you.
To create a desert, means to seek solitude, to withdraw,
to learn to be self-sufficient;
The desert can be in one’s own room,
a special place, a bolt-hole….
an empty church;
even one’s own home at it’s emptiest time….
“Remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy”
The Desert is Sabbath.
The Sabbath is desert.
The day, the space,
the place to enjoy withdrawal from the chaos of living.
WHERE IS YOUR SPACE?
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPACE?
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
PARAPHRASE OF THE LORD'S PRAYER
Father, hallowed be your name;
your kingdom come,
your will be done
as in heaven so on earth.
Give us today our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us;
and lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
West Malling Abbey
WE ASK MARY TO PRAY WITH US TODAY … for particular individuals,
especially for those who do not know her Son.
Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now,
and at the hour of our death.
A PRAYER FOR PEACE IN OUR WORLD
Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth. Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust. Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace. Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe, Peace, Peace, Peace….
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