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The Elijah Group
“Why are you here?”
(First Book of the Kings, Chapter 19, Verse 13)
What do you want to do with your life?
What is God’s plan for you?
The
age we live in offers innumerable possibilities. So much so that at times we
are fragmented and superficial, especially in the area of relationships.
To
discern our calling to life, we need some space for ourselves, where we can
develop a relationship with God through prayer, friendship and the support of
others.
That
is what the
Elijah Group seeks to offer.
Our
inspiration is taken from the prophet Elijah who thirsted for the presence of
the one true God. He is the mystic who after a long and tiring journey learns
to read the new signs of the presence of God. He is the prophet who involves
himself in the lives of the people and fights against false idols. Elijah
discovers that God’s voice was in the sound of sheer silence (see 1Kings
19:11-13) and he realizes that to look for God only in the great events might
be to miss God in the gentle presence.
This
vision is fundamental to the Carmelite calling.
The
Carmelites have been around eight hundred years with a tradition and wisdom
that stretches back into biblical times, to that of Elijah. The
Elijah Group was formed to enable people to
discern and respond to these three questions:
Why are we here?
What is our relationship with the Living God?
What place might we have in the Carmelite family and its spirituality?
Carmelites are drawn to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and through him to a
deep, constant relationship with God.
So, what can we do?
With
the
Elijah Group we invite you to discern
your personal calling.
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The Movement of Lectio Divina
As we pray with a passage
of Scripture, we call on the Holy Spirit to guide our prayer.
1. Lectio: Reading
and listening to the Word of God.
2. Meditatio:
Reflecting on the Word and giving the Word space to resonate with our
lives.
3. Oratio: Allowing
the Word to touch our hearts and in the light of what is going on in our
lives, bringing our prayer to God.
4. Contemplatio: In
silence we give God’s Word freedom in our lives to disturb and console,
to give life and to be our guide.
A
Prayer for Discernment
O God, you search me and
you know me,
you know my resting and my
rising,
you discern my purpose from
afar.
All my ways lie open to
you.
You have blessed me with
many gifts and talents.
Grant me the wisdom to know
how best to use them for the glory of your name.
Grant me the desire to
reach out and embrace all people with your love,
to be your hands in the
world.
Grant me the courage to
echo in my life the Yes of Mary and the passionate fidelity of Elijah
your prophet.
Help me to see in myself
what you see,
and give me the courage to
follow wherever you lead,
through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen. |
1Kings 17:2 – 6
Then the Word of the Lord
came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide yourself near the
brook of Cherith” … so he did what the Lord had told him.
Isaiah 6: 1 – 9
I … heard the voiced of God
saying: “Whom shall I send? … And I said: “Here I am, send me.”
Jeremiah 1:4 – 10
“Before I formed you in the
womb I knew you …”
Psalm 139
“O God, you search me and
you know me, you know my resting and my rising, you discern my purpose
from afar …”
Luke 8:4 – 15
(Jesus) cried, “Anyone who
has ears to hear should listen! …”
Isaiah 30:21
“Whether you turn to the
right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying,
‘This is the way, walk in it’.”
Jeremiah 29:11
“I know the plans I have in
mind for you – it is Yahweh who speaks – plans for peace, not disaster,
reserving a future full of hope for you.”
Psalm 37:4
“Take delight in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.” |
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