This exercise engages your memory to let the specific moments of your life ground you in the Presence of Divine Compassion.
- Take several deep, gentle breaths, allowing yourself to settle into stillness.
- Become aware of various moments in your week or life where you sense that the Sacred was present – moments of life, love, joy, wonder, or heightened immediacy. These may be intense and unforgettable moments or simple and mundane whispers of Presence. Of the various moments that come to you, allow one to emerge as the focus for the rest of this prayer exercise.
- Remember this moment by returning to it in your imagination.
- Recall what was going on in your life at the time, where you were, and whom you were with.
- Reexperience the sensory details of the moment – the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and bodily sensations.
- Remember how the Sacred became present and what this Presence felt like.
- Allow the Presence of the Sacred to expand once more within you, filling you and surrounding you; for as long as it feels right, rest in and savor this Presence. As you continue to rest in this Presence, allow a symbol to come to you that embodies the essence of this Presence – a healing light perhaps, a divine figure, or a warm embrace. Allow this symbol of Sacred Presence to fill your awareness so that you can access it and return to it when you feel the need.
- In preparing to conclude this practice, discern if there is an invitation from the Sacred for how you might allow the grace of this prayer to extend into your daily life.