Spiritual Guides – The Welcoming Prayer
In this last week of Advent before Christmas, we pause our regular theological reflections and turn our focus toward practices that encourage spiritual formation.
In our experience, individual and community spiritual formation are crucial for developing
healthy, sustainable leadership in vulnerable communities. That’s why we now share with you some of the practices the Street Psalms community use to allow God to speak to our hearts and souls as well as our minds.
This week we lift up The Welcoming Prayer by Father Thomas Keating. He joins St. Ignatius of Loyola and other spiritual guides who noted the importance of naming and accepting the movement of our emotions – even difficult ones.
For some of us this Advent season may be filled with joy, while for others, it can be a mixed blessing, or even a time of grieving loss and transition. Our community seeks to hold one other regardless of the amount of cheer (from “Santa” to “Grinch”) we may be feeling. We hope you are held as well.
Peace and blessings to you and your loved ones during this Advent season of waiting.
With gratitude for you,
Street Psalms team
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
I welcome everything that comes to me today
because I know it’s for my healing.
I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons,
situations, and conditions.
I let go of my desire for power and control.
I let go of my desire for affection, esteem,
approval and pleasure.
I let go of my desire for survival and security.
I let go of my desire to change any situation,
condition, person or myself.
I open to the love and presence of God
and God’s action within.
Amen.
Image: “Welcome” by alborzshawn (CC BY 2.0)
Stories that remind us what is possible when leaders undergo the Incarnational Movements.