July Walk&Pray Session

This session was developed in the Lake District, specifically in the area of a mountain called The Old Man of Coniston. We took advantage of the length of the day to climb the mountain. Clotilde prepared the prayer, taking into account "the mountains appeared in the Bible".

Psalm 48, 1-3; 9-14
[Song Psalm Of the sons of Korah] Great is Yahweh and most worthy of praise in the city of our God, the holy mountain,
towering in beauty, the joy of the whole world: Mount Zion in the heart of the north, the settlement of the great king;
God himself among its palaces has proved himself its bulwark.
We reflect on your faithful love, God, in your temple!
Both your name and your praise, God, are over the whole wide world. Your right hand is full of saving justice,
Mount Zion rejoices, the daughters of Judah delight because of your saving justice.
Go round Zion, walk right through her, count her bastions,
admire her walls, examine her palaces, to tell future generations
that such is God; our God for ever and ever, he is our guide!

What would you like to find in a mountain? (climbing physically could be a motivation)

Matthew 4, 8-10
Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. And he said to him, 'I will give you all these, if you fall at my feet and do me homage.'
Then Jesus replied, 'Away with you, Satan! For scripture says: The Lord your God is the one to whom you must do homage, him alone you must serve.'

What are you tempted to find at the top of the mountain?

Luke 9, 28-36
Now about eight days after this had been said, he took with him Peter, John and James and went up the mountain to pray. And it happened that, as he was praying, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became sparkling white. And suddenly there were two men talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they woke up and saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, 'Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three shelters, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.' He did not know what he was saying. As he was saying this, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, 'This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.'And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

What do you feel after going down the mountain?

Next session on 27 July

Our next Walk and Pray session is taking place, as usual, on the last Sunday of the month (27th of July). The place chosen for the walk is The Old Man of Coniston, a mountain in the Lake District. This walk will be for mountaineers and the animation will be to climb a mountain to meet God.

If you think of joining, please get in touch to make sure that we don't miss each :).

QUICK FACTS
Date: Sun, 27th July 08
Destination: The Old Man of Coniston (Lake District)
Meeting Point: 9am Social Centr St. Peter's Cathedral
Return: about 6.00pm

Carolina's email/phone: walk.and.pray [ a t ]gmail.com / 07955541192

June Walk & Pray Session

Due to the changeable weather, we decided to develop our last session having a walk along the canal instead of going to Kirkby Lonsdale. The prayer was focused in sharing our most happy moments and how we noticed the presence of God in those moments.
We started with the four aces of the Spanish cards. We chose one card randomly. Each ace card had a sentence written on the reverse. Each sentence leaded to one reading.

GENESIS 21, 1-6 : The Birth of Isaac

The Lord visited Sarah just as he had said he would and did for Sarah what he had promised. So Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

Have you ever felt that God has made you laugh?

LUKE 1, 39-45: Mary and Elizabeth

In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah, and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She exclaimed with a loud voice,“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb! And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me? For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Have you ever leaped for joy? Have you recognized God in those moments of happiness?

ACTS 20, 33-35: Paul travels to Macedonia and Greece

I have desired no one’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. By all these things, I have shown you that by working in this way we must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Do you have any rewarding experience of giving without receiving?

Next Session on 29 June

Our next Walk and Pray session is taking place, as usual, on the last Sunday of the month (29th of June). This day will be one of the longest of the year due to the proximity to the summer solstice. Such a long day deserves a special activity and I assure that our activity this month will be special. The place chosen for the walk is Kirkby Lonsdale.

If you think of joining, please get in touch to make sure that we don't miss each :).

QUICK FACTS
Date: Sun, 29th June 08
Destination: Kirkby Lonsdale
Meeting Points:

• 12.30 St Tee's
• 12.45 Social Centre St Peter's Cathedral
• 1pm Lancaster University (at Reception)

Return: about 7.00pm
Carolina's email/phone: walk.and.pray [ a t ]gmail.com / 07955541192

May Walk & Pray Session

During our last session in Trough of Bowland, Caroline guided us to reflect, prayed and shared taking as a point of reference one of the letters of Saint Paul for the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 2, 1-9 (Paul ministry to Thessalonica)
You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure. We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition. For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.

What barriers did the followers of Jesus face to proclaiming their faith?
What barriers might you have to proclaiming your faith?

1 Thessalonians 2, 10-16
You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory. And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. For you, brothers, became imitators of God's churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last.

How did the followers of Jesus proclaiming their faith?
How did you proclaim your faith?

1 Thessalonians 2, 17-19
(Paul’s longing to see the Thessalonians)
But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought) out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you - certainly I, Paul, did, again and again -but Satan stopped us.For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ when he comes? Is it not you? In deed you are our glory and our joy.

Why did the followers of Jesus spread the word?
Why would you want to spread the word?

Next Session: Trough of Bowland on 25th May

Summer is approaching and the weather certainly seems to improve a lot. We are going to have a wonderful walk in Lancashire's 'hidden gem', the Trough of Bowland for the next walk & pray session. The walk will be around 3ml (5km); along the route we will have breaks to sit down, share some food and reflect on Scripture.

If you think of joining, please get in touch to make sure that we don't miss each :).

QUICK FACTS
Date: Sun, 25th May 08
Destination: Trough of Bowland
Meeting Points:

• 12.30 St Tee's
  
• 12.45 Social Centre St Peter's Cathedral
• 1pm Lancaster University (at Reception)

Return: about 7.00pm
Rose's email/phone: walk.and.pray [ a t ]gmail.com / 07989 58 1410

April Walk & Pray Session

Our last walk has been in Cartmel and our group of nine were walking up the hill to have a stunning view towards the Fells in the Lake and Morecambe Bay. The theme of the walk focused around the Holy Spirit and we reflected on several aspects of the Sunday's Mass Reading.

Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
 Philip went down to the city of Samaria 
and proclaimed the Messiah to them. 
The crowds with one accord listened eagerly 
to what was said by Philip, 
hearing and seeing the signs that he did, 
for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, 
came out of many who were possessed; 
and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. 
So there was great joy in that city. 
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard 
that Samaria had accepted the word of God, 
they sent Peter and John to them. 
The two went down and prayed for them 
that they might receive the Holy Spirit
(for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; 
they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). 
Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, 
and they received the Holy Spirit.
In today’s reading, Jesus’ promise about the spread of the gospel finds partial fulfillment. Luke describes Philip as a man graced with the gift of evangelism, whose message was accompanied with “signs” of power and healing.


Who did speak in your life that brought the message of Christ alive? Or do you have any encounters where you brought Christ’s message to someone?

1 Peter 3:15-18 
Beloved:
In your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. 
Always be ready to make your defense 
to anyone who demands from you 
an accounting for the hope that is in you; 
yet do it with gentleness and reverence. 
Keep your conscience clear, 
so that, when you are maligned, 
those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ 
may be put to shame. 
For it is better to suffer for doing good, 
if suffering should be God’s will, 
than to suffer for doing evil. 
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, 
the righteous for the unrighteous, 
in order to bring you to God. 
He was put to death in the flesh, 
but made alive in the spirit.
Today’s reading continues the practical counsels on how Christians should relate to those outside the community. Peter recognizes that those who follow Christ often encounter painful trials. Christians are to give an explanation, possibly before formal tribunals but more likely in day-to-day interactions with hostile neighbors, for the hope that characterizes their attitude both in the present and toward the future.

Do you know any example from your life or from others who have suffered because they followed Christ? Or Christians that are treated with hostility or even discriminated? How did they respond? How did you feel about it?

John 14:15-21
 Jesus said to his disciples:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 
And I will ask the Father, 
and he will give you another Advocate, 
to be with you forever. 
This is the Spirit of truth, 
whom the world cannot receive, 
because it neither sees him nor knows him. 
You know him, because he abides with you, 
and he will be in you. 
“I will not leave you orphaned; 
I am coming to you. 
In a little while the world will no longer see me, 
but you will see me; 
because I live, you also will live. 
On that day you will know that I am in my Father, 
and you in me, 
and I in you. 
They who have my commandments and keep them 
are those who love me; 
and those who love me will be loved by my Father, 
and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”
Instead of relying on the physical presence of Christ, we can draw on his spiritual presence, a divine indwelling. The promise comes to fruition: “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you” (John 15:18). After the dark night of crucifixion, we know the truth of Frederick Buechner’s saying: “Morning will come at last, and with it the word you wait for will be spoken at last: the word you hope for, long for, until you can all but hear it already, which is the word, of course, that gives you back your life again.”
 Quietly consider: 
Advocate, Counselor, Helper...you are in me and with me...

With today’s reading in mind, how do you think the Holy Spirit is present in your life? A counselor? Jesus voice? How do you feel about Jesus saying, “ I will not leave you orphaned”.