Men’s Bible Study
Mondays 6–7 pm
All men are invited to a Men’s Bible Study. Men of the parish and community are encouraged to join us. Come with a friend!
The Labyrinth
The labyrinth, a tool for spiritual growth, is located in the field of St. Luke’s, tucked behind the gazebo. The labyrinth is open to the public year-round. This is a unicursal path—one way in, one way out —and not to be confused with a maze.
One of the oldest patterns known is the Classical or Cretan Labyrinth, a seven-circuit design. You are invited to walk this path to meditate, seek spiritual guidance, find stillness in your mind and heart, cultivate conscious contact with God, or develop balance in your life. While there is no right or wrong way to walk a labyrinth, please respect the need for silence and serenity while it is in use.
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Here are some suggestions that might help to enrich your experience:
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Breathe deeply and relax at the entrance. Reflect on your intention and your desire to connect with your spirit.
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Recite a prayer or mantra. Release your concerns and open your heart.
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Shift your awareness to receive what this moment offers.
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Empty your mind and listen for Divine guidance.
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Offer gratitude for this opportunity and for the gifts of insight that perhaps you received. Find a quiet place and take time to reflect on the experience.
Faith Talk with Friends
Sundays 9–10 am
At times we struggle to know how to bring our concerns before God. In this series, we explore our understanding of what prayer is, the relationship between prayer and action, and the transforming work to which God invites us. See our Calendar of Events for the topic schedule.
Contemplative Prayer
Thursdays 10–11 am
What is Contemplative Prayer?
Contemplative prayer is prayer without words, without images, thoughts, worries, or plans. Without words we seek the deepest center of our consciousness where God awaits us. Throughout our prayer time and to the best of our growing ability, we remain in God’s presence, in silence, lovingly abiding, growing in our awareness of God’s love for us. As Meister Eckhart has said, nothing in the world is as much like God as silence.
When our contemplative prayer group gathers they sit perfectly still, in silence, for 25 minutes. Most of the people who gather practice this kind of prayer at home on a daily basis, though that is not necessary to be able to participate. We come together to support and encourage one another and for the community that comes into being among those who share the silence.
This is not an easy way of prayer. Distractions, words, images, imaginings, plague us all most of the time when we begin. “Centering Prayer” and “Christian Meditation” are two other names for contemplative prayer and represent two traditions (among many others) that teach us how to deal with distractions, temptations, or discouragement in contemplative prayer. Consequently, when our prayer group gathers there is usually a short reading or teaching about Christian Meditation to help inspire and guide us. Then with a little music (from a timing tape) we get ourselves comfortable enough to sit still for 25 minutes, after which the music returns.
Here is a summary of Christian Meditation teaching on how to do meditation (contemplative prayer):
Sit down. Sit still and upright. Close your eyes lightly. Sit relaxed but alert. Silently, interiorly, begin to say a single word. We recommend the prayer-phrase “Maranatha.” (“Lord, come.”) Recite it as four syllables of equal length. Listen to it as you say it, gently, but continuously. Do not think or imagine anything—spiritual or otherwise. Thoughts and images will likely come, but let them pass. Just keep returning your attention—with humility and simplicity—to saying your word in faith, from the beginning to the end of your meditation.