St Aidans
 

A rule of life is a commitment to live your life in a particular way. It is meant to be crafted with prayer and discernment, in partnership with God. It serves as a guide to keep us intentional and focused towards God’s desires.
The most well-known rule is the rule of St. Benedict, written fifteen hundred years ago, which was created to help his community of monks translate their faith into the habits and rhythms of their shared daily life. His famous rule has inspired many communities and individuals to develop their own rules with a similar intention.

For centuries Christians have used a method of sacred reading to listen to God through scripture. It is based on the conviction that God seeks to communicates with us, and that we are invited to engage. 

To prepare, find a place where you will not be interrupted, open yourself to the leading of the Holy Spirit as you approach this time of prayer.

Then:

1. Slowly read or listen to the scripture passage (maybe several times). Pay attention to the word or phrase that the Spirit enlivens for you.

2. Ponder that word or phrase. Mull it over in your mind from different angles, why is it important, how does it connect with your life/experience/emotions now?

3. Enter a loving conversation with God about the word or phrase and how it connects for you. 

4. Be still. Stop doing and simply be, resting without words in God embrace.

"Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good; for his steadfast love
endures forever."
- Psalm 106:1

What are you grateful for? Gratitude calls us to see the gifts of God in our own lives.

In order to see the gifts that are new every morning requires us to:

- stop (take time out of your routine)

- look (notice the gifts you have received)

- respond (express gratitude, enjoy what you have been freely given by God)

Keeping a journal is a great way to clarify our thoughts and reflect on our experiences. Take a few minutes each day to write down what you are thinking or feeling, what is happening to you, your changes in mood, and/or any insights gained from prayer.

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Rules

There are no rules. Journaling is only for you, so your spelling or grammar doesn't matter. You can draw or doodle, write beautiful poetry or random notes. This is your journal so be honest with your own feelings and with God.

God so loved the world

God's purposes for creation are good. We are invited to live out God's desires, God's good news, here and now. We are called to demonstrate what God intends. So how we care for creation is part of our relationship with God. 

We are not alone in facing disorientation. 

Many of the personal and communal prayers
of the Psalms are addressing God in times of disruption: A time they do not like.

Such prayers are partly an address to God, but they are also a communal resolve to hang in and take transformative action. Walter Brueggemann suggests that ‘unless that kind of grief and rage and anger is put to speech, it can never become energy. So I believe the transformative function of such prayers is that it transforms energy and rage into positive energy.’

"I don't know what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention."

- Mary Oliver - The Summer Day

The examen is a method of reviewing your day in the presence of God. It is a time set aside for thankful reflection on where God is in your everyday life. It has five steps that might take 15-20 minutes per day.

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1. Ask God to guide you.

2. Give thanks - the day we have just had is a gift from God, be grateful for it.

3. Review the day - two questions are useful.

4. Face up to what is wrong - respond to the God of love.

5. Resolve to act rightly in the day to come.