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SHEFFIELD DIOCESAN READERS’ ASSOCIATION

CONTINUING MINISTERIAL

DEVELOPMENT

1st November 2016

Evening plan: 6.15 Doors open – refreshments 7.00 Lectionary for forthcoming Sunday Job 19. 24-27a 2 Thessalonians. 2. 1-15 , 13-17 Luke 20. 27-38

(30 mins) 10 minutes of collaborative teaching on the readings Discussion about themes, topics, treatments in buzz groups – each group

takes just one passage – depending on numbers may be more than one group per passage

7.30 Feedback to whole group 7.55 2nd part of evening The Examen Revd Joy Adams will explore with us the use of the Examen as a tool for reflection and discernment. 8.45 (15-30 minutes) Discussion taking the talk further

9.15 ending prayer and depart

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Opening prayer: Almighty God, we thank you for the gift of your holy word. May it be a lantern to our feet, a light to our paths, and strength to our lives. Take us and use us to love and serve all people in the power of the Holy Spirit and in the name of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Closing prayer God of holiness, your glory is proclaimed in every age: as we rejoice in the faith of your saints, inspire us to follow their example with boldness and joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Bible study prompts

! What inspired you or did the passage illuminate?

? What raised questions for you?

" What surprised you?

✔ What did you agree with or like?

✗ What did you disagree with or dislike?

! Are there any parallels in the Bible that you can think of?

" Have you had an experience like this in your life?

# Is there anything that this passage prompts you to do?

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SHEFFIELD DIOCESAN READERS’ ASSOCIATION CMD - NOVEMBER 2016 – READINGS (NRSV)

Job 19. 24-27a 23 ‘O that my words were written down! O that they were inscribed in a book! 24 O that with an iron pen and with lead they were engraved on a rock for ever! 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; 26 and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me! 2 Thessalonians. 2. 1-15 , 13-17

2As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters, 2not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. 3Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction. 4He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God. 5Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? ……

13 But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 14For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

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Luke 20. 27-38

27 Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him 28and asked him a question, ‘Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. 29Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; 30then the second 31and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. 32Finally the woman also died. 33In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.’

34 Jesus said to them, ‘Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; 35but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36Indeed they cannot die any more, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection. 37And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.’

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SHEFFIELD DIOCESAN READERS’ ASSOCIATION CMD - NOVEMBER 2016 – NOTES ON READINGS

Job 19. 24-27a CONTEXT Job is part of the Wisdom texts of the Hebrew scriptures. The origin of the text is a mystery. It is a work of art, in that it is a text that tells a story that is designed to explore a fundamental issue of faith – why do bad things happen to good people and how is a person of faith to respond. You may say that it raises more questions than it answers. It suggests to us that we cannot possibly know everything about God, or understand everything about the way that God works, but nevertheless God has a relationship with us. We may need to explain to our congregations what has been happening so far in the story. This passage comes after the second round of the debate when Job’s ‘friends’ have spoken again – their arguments are that Job must have offended God in some way, and is too arrogant or blind to admit it. But Job knows even at the darkest point in the discussion, that he is blameless and clings to this hope of vindication. TEXT We know this passage well from its inclusion in the Messiah. We might feel, if that is the only place where we have encountered it, that it is sung in a spirit of great calm, But in this context, it is a defiant call to God. Look at the text that goes before it where Job lists the terrible things that have befallen him. It is worth noting that at the time that it was written there was no belief as such in the idea of resurrection (particularly in a Christian context), and we should be careful not to read it back into this passage. See attached extract from the Lion Handbook to the Bible. But Job plainly hopes to meet God in some sort of afterlife. How do we react to trouble? And does it take our faith in God away? 2 Thessalonians. 2. 1-15 , 13-17 CONTEXT It appears that the Thessalonians have been upset by someone who has preached to them that the Day of the Lord is imminent. Verse 3 starts to remind them that this isn’t going to happen just yet; other things have to precede it, particularly a period of lawlessness. This is not a novel idea; see Matt 24. 23-24 and 1 John 2.18

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TEXT There is a link with the Job passage in the exhortation to stand fast in the face of trouble. The congregation are being exhorted to hold to what they have been taught and know to be true. This passage may be helpful for congregations who are facing trouble or disruption. Luke 20. 27-38 CONTEXT The setting of this story is the last week or so of Jesus’ life. The pressure on him is mounting. This is the third of three trick questions that are being asked of him, not because the questioners want an answer but because they want to trap him into an admission or statement that they can use against him. He has been asked by what authority he preaches, and the question about whether it is lawful to pay tax. (Shades of the Presidential campaign here – this is an old, old technique.) The Sadducees were urban aristocrats who claimed descent from Zadok the priest and had conservative beliefs. In particular they refused to believe in an afterlife/resurrection. TEXT Jesus not only sees through the motivation and the question, he refuses to accept the premise of the question and turns it round against the people who are trying to trap him. They are bound by earthly concerns and don’t seem to have the imagination. If God is God of the living then the resurrection is a different thing, a different state, where death has no power over God, and by extension, us.

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Consequences  of  Praying  The  Examen  of  Conscienceness    

1.  There  is  always  something  to  pray  about.  For  a  person  who  does  this  kind  of  prayer  at  least  once  a  day,  there  is  never  the  question:  What  should  I  talk  to  God  about?  Until  you  die,  you  always  have  a  past  24  hours,  and  you  always  have  some  feelings  about  what’s  next.  2.   The   gratitude   moment   is   worthwhile   in   itself.  “Dedicate   yourselves   to  gratitude,”   Paul   tells   the   Colossians.   Even   if   we   drift   off   into   slumber   after  reviewing  the  gifts  of  the  day,  we  have  praised  the  Lord.  3.  We  learn  to  face  the  Lord  where  we  are,  as  we  are.  There  is  no  other  way  to  be   present   to   God,   of   course,   but  we   often   fool   ourselves   into   thinking   that  we  have  to  “put  on  our  best  face”  before  we  address  our  God.  4.  We   learn   to   respect   our   feelings.   Feelings   count.   They   are   morally   neutral  until   we  make   some   choice   about   acting   upon   or   dealing  with   them.   But   if   we  don’t  attend  to  them,  we  miss  what  they  have  to  tell  us  about  the  quality  of  our  lives.  5.  Praying  from  feelings,  we  are  liberated  from  them.  An  unattended  emotion  can   dominate   and  manipulate   us.   Attending   to   and   praying   from   and   about   the  persons   and   situations   that   give   rise   to   the   emotions   helps   us   to   cease   being  unwitting  slaves  of  our  emotions.  6.  We  actually  find  something  to  bring  to  confession.  That  is,  we  stumble  across  our  sins  without  making  them  the  primary  focus.  7.  We  can  experience  an  inner  healing.  People  have  found  that  praying  about  (as  opposed  to  fretting  about  or  denying)  feelings  leads  to  a  healing  of  mental  life.  We  probably  get  a  head  start  on  our  dreamwork  when  we  do  this.  8.  This  kind  of  prayer  helps  us  get  over  our  Deism.  Deism  is  belief   in  a  sort  of  “clock-­‐maker”   God,   a   God   who   does   indeed   exist   but   does   not   have   much,   if  anything,   to   do  with   his   people’s   ongoing   life.   The   God  we   have   come   to   know  through   our   Jewish   and   Christian   experience   is   more   present   than   we   usually  think.  9.   Praying   this   way   is   an   antidote   to   the   spiritual   disease   of  Pelagianism.  Pelagianism  was  the  heresy  that  approached  life  with  God  as  a  do-­‐it-­‐yourself   project   (“If   at   first   you  don’t   succeed…”),  whereas   a   true   theology  of  grace  and   freedom  sees   life   as   response   to  God’s   love   (“If   today  you  hear  God’s  voice…”).  A   final   thought.   How   can   anyone   dare   to   say   that   paying   attention   to   felt  experience  is  a  listening  to  the  voice  of  God?  On  the  face  of  it,  it  does  sound  like  a  dangerous  presumption.  But,  notice,  I  am  not  equating  memory  with  the  voice  of  God.  I  am  saying  that,  if  we  are  to  listen  for  the  God  who  creates  and  sustains  us,  we  need  to  take  seriously  and  prayerfully  the  meeting  between  the  creatures  we  are   and   all   else   that   God   holds   lovingly   in   existence.   That   “interface”   is   the   felt  experience  of  my  day.   It  deserves  prayerful  attention.   It   is  a  big  part  of  how  we  know  and  respond  to  God.  http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-­‐prayer/the-­‐examen/rummaging-­‐for-­‐god-­‐praying-­‐backward-­‐through-­‐your-­‐day    

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Contemplative  Prayer  Contemplative   prayer  or  contemplation  is   a   form   of  prayer  distinct   from   vocal   prayer  (the  recitation  of  words)  and,  strictly  speaking,  from  meditation  (a  form  of  mental  prayer,  also   called   methodical   prayer,   based   on   discursive   reflection   on   various   considerations  such  as  the  four  last  things  or  the  life  of  Christ).  In  discursive  meditation,  mind  and  imagination  and  other  faculties  are  actively  employed  in  an  effort  to  understand  our  relationship  with  God.  In  contemplative  prayer,  this  activity  is  curtailed,  so  that  contemplation  has  been  described  as  "a  gaze  of  faith",  "a  silent  love".[1]  John   of   the   Cross  described   the   difference   between   discursive   meditation   and  contemplation  by  saying:  "The  difference  between  these  two  conditions  of  the  soul  is  like  the  difference  between  working,  and  enjoyment  of  the  fruit  of  our  work;  between  receiving  a   gift,   and   profiting   by   it;   between   the   toil   of   travelling   and   the   rest   of   our   journey's  end".[2][3]  Mattá  al-­‐Miskīn,  an  Oriental  Orthodox  monk  has  posited:  "Meditation  is  an  activity  of  one's  spirit  by  reading  or  otherwise,  while  contemplation  is  a  spontaneous  activity  of  that  spirit.  In   meditation,   man's   imaginative   and   thinking   power   exert   some   effort.   Contemplation  then  follows  to  relieve  man  of  all  effort.  Contemplation  is  the  soul's  inward  vision  and  the  heart's   simple   repose   in   God."[4]  There   is   no   clear-­‐cut   boundary   between   Christian  meditation  and  Christian  contemplation,  and  they  sometimes  overlap.  Meditation  serves  as  a  foundation  on  which  the  contemplative  life  stands,  the  practice  by  which  someone  begins  the  state  of  contemplation.[4]  What is contemplative prayer? St. Teresa answers: 'Contemplative prayer [oración mental] in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.' Contemplative prayer seeks him 'whom my soul loves'. It is Jesus, and in him, the Father. We seek him, because to desire him is always the beginning of love, and we seek him in that pure faith which causes us to be born of him and to live in him. In this inner prayer we can still meditate, but our attention is fixed on the Lord himself." [5]

1. "Contemplative prayer is the simple expression of the mystery of prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, a silent love. It achieves real union with the prayer of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2724).

2. John of the Cross, The Ascent of Mount Carmel, p. 125 3. Bede Frost, The Art of Mental Prayer, p. 209 4. b Mattá al-Miskīn, Orthodox Prayer Life: The Interior Way (St Vladimir's Seminary Press 2003 ISBN 0-

88141-250-3), p. 56 5. Judith Costello, How to Pray Like the Saints in 10 Lessons Para 2709

Web Resources: https://soundcloud.com/pray-as-you-go/examen-prayer-i http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/the-examen https://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/prayer/personal-prayer-life/different-ways-to-pray/prayerfully-reviewing-your-day-daily-examen

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAFbD5jCGNI video from St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre http://www.beunos.com/prayerexamen.htm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVItxNMrNnw video from Discerning Hearts http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/23542/reimagining-examen-app

Book Resources:

Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives You Life, by Dennis Linn, Sheila Fabricant Linn, and Matthew Linn (Paulist Press, 1995).

Ignatius of Loyola: Spiritual Exercises and Selected Works (Paulist Press, 1991)