Session 8: Holding Things Lightly

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The gifts of God can only be held with an open hand, open to sharing, open to trusting, open to letting go… if that is what God wants…

Make each in-breath a prayer by thinking the word, ‘peace’… and make each out breath a prayer by thinking word, ‘calm’… allow yourself to relax into the gaze of God who looks upon you with everlasting love…

2:58

Listen now to the conversation between Jesus and a rich young man…

As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.” ’ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

4:57

luna

Let yourself inhabit this scene from the Gospel… build up the scene in your mind’s eye using the senses of using your senses of touch, taste, sight, sound and smell… take on the perspective of one of the characters… and let the story unfold so we can meet Jesus there…

Compose the scene by imagining a dusty road… with a crowd of people gathered around Jesus… feel the stony ground under your feet… taste the dry heat in the air… see the colours of people’s clothes… hear the bustle of excited chatter… smell the closeness of the crowd…

As you place yourself in the scene, watch the young man eagerly running up to ask Jesus a question, and listen to his response… Linger on way Jesus looks at him steadily with love…Can you allow Jesus to look upon you in the same way too…?

The rich man cannot let go of his wealth… Is there something of which you cannot let go…? Perhaps it is money, reputation, self-image… or maybe something else…

Do you turn away in sadness, or can you remain here in Jesus steady gaze of love…?

When you come to the end of the scene, just let it quietly finish….

Speak to Jesus honestly about what is hard to let go of… and ask for the freedom to hold it more lightly… and let it go if that is what God wants…

Is there one thing that you think you cannot let go of today…? What would it be like to hold it more loosely…?

God, before all else, you are the ground upon which I stand, you are holding me in being, and you love me every day.