Jesus’s Morning Prayer
An "Ignatian-style" re-envisioning of Jesus's morning prayer.
The night ebbs. Jesus comes awake to stillness.
Across the room he hears the quiet sound of his mother's breathing. He rises quietly so as not to wake her.
Walking through the house, no other family members have risen yet. It is still very early. He dips some cool water from one of the large water urns, relishing the drink. He pours the last remnants of the dipper into his hand and scrubs the water over his face, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
Grabbing his cloak from beside the door he wraps it securely around himself. It is cool this morning. He strides out through the courtyard as a cock crows in the distance forecasting the beginning of another day. He turns right out of the courtyard and heads down to the end of the street.
No one has risen yet, although he sees a light in the house of Salome, his mother’s oldest friend, as he passes. He heads up the path toward the stream above the village and his favorite outcropping nearby in the old olive grove. Quietly he strides upward, passing the stream and going on.
The dawn is beginning to break over in the east. When he arrives at the outcropping, he removes his cloak and lays it out on the ground. Prostrating himself, he faces the east as he prays the Shema:
Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One, blessed be the name of the Lord!
Hear O Israel, The Lord is our God, The Lord is One;
And as for you, you shall love the Lord your God
With all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength;
Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Three times he repeats this.
Then he looks out over the coming day, asking for strength, for discernment, for patience to let all unfold according to his Father’s will. After a time of silent resting in God, Jesus gets up, dusts off his cloak and returns to his home.
The day awaits.
I imagine Jesus’s morning prayer goes something like this . . .
Lord God, King of the Universe,
Creator and Sustainer of all things.
You who bring breath to my lungs and light to my eyes,
I give you thanks and praise for this new day.
Be with me in all I say and do this day,
and help me to do your will in all things. (1) AMEN
(1) A prayer inspired by Jesus’s morning prayer in the series, The Chosen.