Find Hope In Stillness

When you find yourself without hope, this meditation on the communion prayer of Padre Pio will help still your mind and trust in God. This practice draws on the contemplative practice of lectio divina, which uses sacred words to open our hearts to God's voice. After each passage, the inner silence grows progressively longer, with five minutes of stillness following the last reading.

Lovely music is "Let Go" by Chris Collins at Indie Music box
Lovely photo by Dominik Inmann on Unsplash

Transcript

Taking moments to be still can be really difficult because so many thoughts from the outside world tend to crowd your mind when your body is still.

So it helps to have some beautiful words from the ancients to help get us into a more peaceful state of mind.

So if you're not sitting already,

Find a comfortable place to sit.

Sometimes it helps to elevate the hips on a pillow or a blanket and make sure that your chest and heart are open to receive.

You can maybe imagine your hips just extending down into a chair or the ground and the crown of your head reaching up.

So you're paying attention,

Offering yourself to whatever God might be speaking to you in this practice.

So I'm going to speak these words four times and give you a little bit of time between each to direct your thoughts.

And each time will be a little bit longer.

So although it'll be uncomfortable,

Maybe at first,

You'll eventually notice that the stillness will begin to open you.

So let's hear a prayer from Padre Pio.

So the first time we hear them,

Just listen and open your heart here.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For it is necessary to have you present so that I don't forget you.

You know how easily I abandon you.

Stay with me,

Lord,

Because I'm weak and I need your strength that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For you are my life.

And without you,

I am without fervor.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For you are my light.

And without you,

I am in darkness.

Stay with me,

Lord,

To show me your will.

Stay with me,

Lord,

So that I hear your voice and follow you.

So just sit with these words for a moment.

So as we hear these words again,

Let me listen for a phrase,

Or maybe one word that speaks to you.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For it is necessary to have you present so that I do not forget you.

You know how easily I abandon you.

Stay with me,

Lord,

Because I am weak and I need your strength that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For you are my life.

And without you,

I am without fervor.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For you are my light.

And without you,

I am in darkness.

Stay with me,

Lord,

To show me your will.

Stay with me,

Lord,

So that I hear your voice and follow you.

So whatever word or phrase resonated with you,

Let them carry you these next few moments.

So as we hear these words for a third time,

Let's see how they can be a plea,

A prayer,

A petition.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For it is necessary to have you present so that I do not forget you.

You know how easily I abandon you.

Stay with me,

Lord,

Because I am weak and I need your strength that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For you are my life.

And without you,

I am without fervor.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For you are my light.

And without you,

I am in darkness.

Stay with me,

Lord,

To show me your will.

Stay with me,

Lord,

So that I hear your voice and follow you.

So what would you like to say to God at this moment?

Let's hear these words again and see if they can provide a stepping-off point into interior stillness.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For it is necessary to have you present so that I do not forget you.

You know how easily I abandon you.

Stay with me,

Lord,

Because I am weak and I need your strength that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For you are my life.

And without you,

I am without fervor.

Stay with me,

Lord,

For you are my light.

And without you,

I am in darkness.

Stay with me,

Lord,

To show me your will.

Stay with me,

Lord,

So that I hear your voice and follow you.

So let's see if we can experience interior silence as you emerge from this time of deep contemplation.

Sometimes it helps to find a way to seal this practice,

Whether it's to maybe move your head back and forth,

Shift your hips a little bit,

And take a deep breath as a transition from this time to whatever God might be asking you to do as you step off your meditation space.

What did God say to you?

What tools has he empowered within you?

You have a gift.

You have that special something that God has given you to reach to others,

To bring other people together,

To establish that unity,

That oneness.

Take these words and go forth in kindness,

Compassion,

Generosity,

And love.

Reviews

I'm so glad I found your meditations. You have such a soothing voice, and the meditations always seem to address what I'm dealing with. Divine inspiration.

Thank You 🙏🏼 Listened early Sunday morning. Miss your lives—be well. ❤️

This was exactly what I needed to hear this morning. Gods presence has left me and that is my fault for abandoning His. Thank you Beth for your work here. I miss your Lives on Sundays. I hope your well 🙏🏻💜

Thank you for providing such a supportive way to enter stillness