Three times a year, women from southwest Philly gather for a retreat morning of holy rest. Our time is spent in prayer, reflection and quiet, as well as fellowship, and always a delicious lunch.
In January, we borrowed a canvas labyrinth from St. David’s Episcopal Church and set it up in the Greenway. Fifteen women gathered, and we began our time in the Prayer Room praying with Psalm 23:1-4. We engaged a prayer practice called Lectio Divina which means Holy Reading. Spending time in quiet prayer with these familiar verses from Psalm 23 was a powerful process and a spirit-filled experience.
We moved to the Greenway for an hour of reflection time which included walking the labyrinth. The labyrinth is a prayer walk which follows a path into the center and then, after some time resting in God in the center, the same path back out. Some of the guidelines for walking the labyrinth include …
Be open when you begin.
Notice what comes.
Welcome God.
Move with a rhythm that suits the moment.
Enjoy the center; why hurry away?
Let Christ know your heart and mind.
Welcome Jesus’ input.
Let insights or thankfulness that come bubble over.
After the reflection time, we came together again to share the tremendous graces of the morning. I continue to be awed by the way that God meets each one of us where we are. When praying with Psalm 23, we shared the words/phrase that caught our attention in the psalm. Some were drawn to “The Lord is my shepherd,” others to “God is with me” and still others to “He leads me.” I had a deep sense of God reminding me that He leads me in right paths, and when the darkness comes, God is there with me. What a blessing to experience in prayer this reminder from God.
We closed our time with a tasty soup and sandwich lunch. It was a beautiful morning … filled with holy rest!
Our spring Holy Rest morning will be on Saturday, April 21. Stay tuned for details!
