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The website Sacred Space has been helping millions to pray for some
years. Now Ave Maria Press makes these very helpful and easily usable
prayer-helps available in handsome and accessible form, including
pocket-sized booklets for the Advent-Christmas and Lenten seasons.
What a great service to Gods people! I hope millions more will buy the
books. God is being well served.
William A. Barry, S.J.
Author of Paying Attention to God: Discernment in Prayer
I dont know any other guides to prayer that are so direct, profound, and
effective. Its no wonder that right around the world they have proved
extraordinarily helpful in leading busy people to stay in touch with the
presence of God.
Gerald OCollins, S.J.
Author of Jesus: A Portrait
Sacred Space has provided countless people with a clear and concise
resource to pray aloneany time and anywhereand yet consciously
united with numerous others worldwide. This timely, unassuming aid
to daily prayer is a gem.
Peter van Breemen, S.J.
Author of The God Who Wont Let Go
SACREDSPACE
the prayer book 2013
acknowledgment
The publisher would like to thank Brian Grogan, S.J., and
the Sacred Space team for their kind assistance in making this book
possible. Correspondence with the Sacred Space team can be directed
to feedback@sacredspace.ie or to www.sacredspace.ie, where comments
or suggestions relating to the book will always be welcome.
Unless otherwise noted, the scripture quotations contained herein
are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.
All rights reserved.
First published in Australia 2012 by Michelle Anderson Publishing
Pty., Ltd.
2012 Irish Province of the Society of Jesus
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews,
without written permission from Ave Maria Press, Inc., P.O. Box 428, Notre
Dame, IN 465560428.
Founded in 1865, Ave Maria Press is a ministry of the United States Province
of Holy Cross.
www.avemariapress.com
Paperback: ISBN-10 1-59471-307-3, ISBN-13 978-1-59471-307-1
E-Book: ISBN-10 1-59471-354-5, ISBN-13 978-1-59471-354-5
Cover design by Andy Wagoner.
Text design by K. Hornyak Bonelli.
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
contents
viii
1
January 2013
33
February 2013
60
March 2013
87
April 2013
122
May 2013
153
June 2013
179
July 2013
210
August 2013
242
September 2013
274
October 2013
305
November 2013
337
viii
december 28
Something to think and pray about each day this week:
2
The Presence of God
Lord, help me to be fully alive to your holy presence.
Enfold me in your love.
Let my heart become one with yours.
Freedom
Many countries are at this moment suffering the agonies of war.
I bow my head in thanksgiving for my freedom.
I pray for all prisoners and captives.
Consciousness
At this moment, Lord, I turn my thoughts to you.
I will leave aside my chores and preoccupations.
I will take rest and refreshment in your presence, Lord.
The Word
The Word of God comes down to us through the scriptures.
May the Holy Spirit enlighten my mind and my heart to
respond to the Gospel teachings. (Please turn to your scripture
on the following pages. Inspiration points are there should
you need them. When you are ready, return here to continue.)
Conversation
Sometimes I wonder what I might say if I
were to meet you in person, Lord.
I might say, Thank you, Lord, for always being there for me.
I know with certainty there were times when you carried me.
When through your strength I got through the dark times in my
life.
Conclusion
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.
december 2012
3
Sunday 2nd December,
First Sunday of Advent
Luke 21:2528
esus said, There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring
of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding
of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will
be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud
with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take
place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is
drawing near.
Jesus is using traditional Jewish symbolism to describe what will happen when Gods final judgment occurs. He says that people will see
the Son of Man coming in a cloud. The cloud is a symbol for Gods
presence.
Jesus message bursts with hope and confidence because, unlike those
who have reason to fear his coming, Jesus followers will be able to
hold their heads high because their liberation is at hand.
december 2012
I pray: Lord, the centurion interceded for his sick servant. I now
intercede for others who are unwell. More than that, I intercede for
our sick world which you love so much.
I watch Jesus at his prayer. What is it like to see him rejoicing in the
Holy Spirit and thanking his Father? At this moment as I pray, the
three divine Persons are present with me, and the Spirit is praying in
me. Awareness of this can transform my prayer.
I pray: Jesus, so many people have never heard your Good News.
But I have heard it, and I have seen you through the pages of the
gospels. Let your Word never become boring or stale for me, but
fresh, creative, and challenging.
december 2012
5
mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind
seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. Then Jesus called his
disciples to him and said, I have compassion for the crowd, because
they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to
eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might
faint on the way. The disciples said to him, Where are we to get
enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd? Jesus asked
them, How many loaves have you? They said, Seven, and a few
small fish. Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he
took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks he broke
them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them
to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled; and they took
up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full.
Jesus had compassion for the crowds. He sees me among them and
knows my needs. I tell him where I am most challenged and listen
for his Word.
Fullness of life and ability were offered to the sick and to those in
need. Jesus calls me to full life, forgiving and healing any lack of
capacity or effort that I have, inviting me to be a fuller sign of Gods
presence.
december 2012
Hearing or reading the Word is important, but is not the end. I take
time to let the Word of God settle into the shape of my life. I take
care not to let it merely stay in my mind, but to let it touch my heart
and desires.
I ask God to help me be present to the Word. I ask for sincerity and
integrity, and that my words do not just remain sounds but are also
backed up by my way of living.
I give thanks to God for those times when my eyes have been opened,
and I ask him to lead me to appreciate truth.
december 2012
7
over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be
no end.
Can we look beyond this momentous event to delve into our own
responses? Can we let go of our own individual fears, and even our
plans, to embrace hope? Can we say, I dont know what this all
means, but I trust that good things will happen?
december 2012
december 915
Something to think and pray about each day this week:
9
The Presence of God
God is with me, but more,
God is within me, giving me existence.
Let me dwell for a moment on Gods life-giving presence
in my body, my mind, my heart,
and in the whole of my life.
Freedom
God is not foreign to my freedom.
Instead the Spirit breathes life into my most intimate desires,
gently nudging me towards all that is good.
I ask for the grace to let myself be enfolded by the Spirit.
Consciousness
Help me, Lord, to be more conscious of your presence.
Teach me to recognize your presence in others.
Fill my heart with gratitude for the times your love
has been shown to me through the care of others.
The Word
I read the Word of God slowly, a few times over, and I listen
to what God is saying to me. (Please turn to your scripture
on the following pages. Inspiration points are there should
you need them. When you are ready, return here to continue.)
Conversation
How has Gods Word moved me?
Has it left me cold?
Has it consoled me or moved me to act in a new way?
I imagine Jesus standing or sitting beside me;
I turn and share my feelings with him.
Conclusion
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.
december 2012
10
Sunday 9th December,
Second Sunday of Advent
Luke 3:16
n the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee,
and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas
and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah
in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as
it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, The
voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the
Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every
mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see
the salvation of God.
John the Baptist quotes the prophet Isaiah, Prepare the way of the
Lord, make his paths straight. The image John uses is that of a road
engineer, shouting out orders for the construction of the royal road
of the Lord.
december 2012
11
Prepare the way of the Lord. This is the essence of this season of
Advent. As Isaiah sees it, the earth-shaking preparations of the revealing of the glory of God are themselves the gift of God.
Can I apply this to myself and my own preparations to meet the Lord?
Do the obstacles between me and new lifesmall or greatseem
very immovable, beyond my efforts?
december 2012
12
Lord, open our hearts to your love, to know the security and depth of
belonging, to recognize how we all belong in Jesus the Christ.
John may be the greatest figure of the past, but, from Jesus perspectivenow that the Messiah has appearedwhoever believes in Jesus
and accepts his teaching about Gods kingdom is greater than John.
But Jesus remains entwined with John the Baptist, as he does with
Elijah, as well as with the apostles and the women who follow him.
In the same way, we are entwined with Jesus, and with all those who
are part of the journey with Jesus to God.
Jesus illustrates two negative responses to the ministries of both himself and John the Baptist: John is too severe for them; he has a
demon. Jesus is too lax; he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners.
december 2012
13
Jesus ministry may disturb us because he preaches a God of compassion, which may not be what we expect. How do we try to make God
fit in with what we want?
Jesus was always aware that he was to suffer; the crib is most realistic
when the cross is in the background, close by. Lord, teach me to follow you, to accept this challenge, to understand love and suffering.
december 2012
december 1622
Something to think and pray about each day this week:
14
15
The Presence of God
What is present to me is what has a hold on my becoming.
I reflect on the presence of God always there in love,
amidst the many things that have a hold on me.
I pause and pray that I may let God affect my becoming in this
precise moment.
Freedom
There are very few people who realize what God
would make of them if they abandoned themselves into his hands,
and let themselves be formed by his grace. (St. Ignatius)
I ask for the grace to trust myself totally to Gods love.
Consciousness
In the presence of my loving Creator,
I look honestly at my feelings over the last day,
the highs, the lows, and the level ground.
Can I see where the Lord has been present?
The Word
God speaks to each one of us individually. I need to
listen to hear what he is saying to me. Read the text
a few times, then listen. (Please turn to your scripture
on the following pages. Inspiration points are there should
you need them. When you are ready, return here to continue.)
Conversation
What is stirring in me as I pray?
Am I consoled, troubled, left cold?
I imagine Jesus himself standing or sitting at my side,
and share my feelings with him.
Conclusion
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.
december 2012
16
Sunday 16th December,
Third Sunday of Advent
Luke 3:1014
nd the crowds asked John the Baptist, What then should we
do? In reply he said to them, Whoever has two coats must
share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do
likewise. Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked
him, Teacher, what should we do? He said to them, Collect no
more than the amount prescribed for you. Soldiers also asked him,
And we, what should we do? He said to them, Do not extort
money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied
with your wages.
Preparing the way for the Messiah is not simply a matter of belonging
to the Jewish nation, John insists. It comes about through repentance:
changing the way one thinks and changing ones lifestyle in practical
ways.
As Jacob was dying he called his twelve sons around him to give his
testament and tell them what lay in store for them.
december 2012
17
The scepter shall not pass from Judah . . . until he come to whom it
belongs. In the words of the old man, we Christians hear the promise
of the one who is to come.
Can I begin to let myself feel some of the hope and expectation of
those who wait for a promised Messiah?
Joseph, although he had made up his mind, was prepared to let his
dream speak. I ask for the grace to be able to bring my decisions
before God, allowing my heart to be shaped and my mind to be
changed.
december 2012
18
Wednesday 19th December
Psalm 70 (71):36, 1617
e to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you
are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from
the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me
from my mothers womb. I will come praising the mighty deeds
of the Lord God, I will praise your righteousness, yours alone. O
God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your
wondrous deeds.
The Psalms express this most fundamental hope: that our refuge, our
rest, and security lie in God alone.
As the end of the Advent season brings the promise of Gods incarnate
Son, Jesus, what can we learn from Marys response?
december 2012
19
leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
and exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened
to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I
heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for
joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment
of what was spoken to her by the Lord.
Mary has just learned that she is to be the mother of God. She does
not bask in being the celebrity of all celebrities, but puts on sandals
and cloak and walks to Judea to help her pregnant cousin.
Think of occasions when I served and took joy in it, not as a paid job
but as a labor of love, and the delight that comes from thinking more
about others than about myself. St. Paul quotes Jesus as saying, It is
more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).
december 2012