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A place of reflection from the contemplative Christian tradition featuring guided meditations in the spirit of lectio divina and centering prayer. Best experienced through headphones.
Breath of Love – Proper 28C-2
>>>Welcome
Welcome to Breath of Love.
This is a place for sacred listening --
a rhythm of Scripture, silence, and embodied prayer.
Each week we enter the same simple pattern:
breathing, receiving,
returning to the heart of love that holds all things.
Wherever you are -- in stillness or in motion --
alone or among others --
you are part of this circle of sound.
There is nothing you need to perform here.
Only to breathe.
Only to receive.
So we begin, as always,
by finding the breath again --
a breath that meets us where we are
and carries us deeper
into the mystery of Christ alive in all things.
>>>Centering and Breath Prayer
Find yourself in a comfortable position --
or if you’re moving, let that rhythm be enough.
There’s no right way to arrive here.
Simply notice that you already have.
You might sense the ground beneath you,
or whatever supports you,
or the quiet movement of air at the edges of your skin.
Let awareness widen without effort,
as though the body itself were breathing you.
You can hear what you hear.
You can feel what you feel.
And still, deeper down,
something steady remains.
If thoughts come, they can come.
If they pass, they can pass.
Nothing to manage.
Only to notice the life that’s noticing.
When you’re ready,
begin to rest in a slow, even breath.
Let these words move with it --
Breathe in: Light of mercy rising
Breathe out: Healing in your wings.
You may keep this breath as a companion,
a way to return to center
as each reading unfolds.
>>>Reading I (Malachi 4:1-2)
A reading from the prophet Malachi.
See, the day is coming, burning like an oven,
when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble;
the day that comes shall burn them up,
says the LORD of hosts,
so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.
But for you who revere my name
the sun of righteousness shall rise,
with healing in its wings.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
>>>Meditation I (Malachi 4:1-2a)
The prophet’s vision is fierce --
fire that burns away the brittle,
leaving only what can live in light.
You might notice where that image touches you.
Where something in your own life
has been refined through heat,
or gentled by warmth.
Perhaps mercy, too, rises like flame --
not to destroy,
but to reveal.
With each breath:
Light of mercy rising…
Healing in your wings.
Let the image soften.
The same sun that scorches also mends.
You may sense a glow gathering somewhere inside,
not harsh, but tender --
the warmth of being made whole.
And as that warmth settles,
perhaps it hums quietly into the next word.
>>>Reading II (Psalm 98)
Sing to the Lord a new song, *
for he has done marvelous things.
With his right hand and his holy arm *
has he won for himself the victory.
The Lord has made known his victory; *
his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.
He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *
and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; *
lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.
Sing to the Lord with the harp, *
with the harp and the voice of song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn *
shout with joy before the King, the Lord.
Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *
the lands and those who dwell therein.
Let the rivers clap their hands, *
and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord,
when he comes to judge the earth.
In righteousness shall he judge the world *
and the peoples with equity.
>>>Meditation II (Psalm 98)
The psalm is pure sound --
oceans clapping their hands,
hills singing together,
creation itself rejoicing in justice.
You might let the body be part of that chorus.
The pulse in your wrists,
the tide of breath in your ribs --
all music.
Even silence can sing when you listen this way.
Light of mercy rising…
Healing in your wings.
Maybe you can sense the world praising through you:
the cells, the rivers, the unseen wind.
Everything returning the love that made it.
And in the afterglow of that praise,
you may begin to feel what work remains --
the daily harmonies of faithfulness.
>>>Reading III (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13)
A reading from the second letter to the Thessalonians.
Now we command you, beloved,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to keep away from believers who are living in idleness
and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us;
we were not idle when we were with you,
and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it;
but with toil and labor we worked night and day,
so that we might not burden any of you.
This was not because we do not have that right,
but in order to give you an example to imitate.
For even when we were with you, we gave you this command:
Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.
For we hear that some of you are living in idleness,
mere busybodies, not doing any work.
Now such persons we command and exhort
in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly
and to earn their own living.
Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
>>>Meditation III (2 Thessalonians 3:6-13)
The words in Paul’s name turn practical --
a steady rhythm of labor and rest,
the holiness of showing up.
There’s quiet dignity in that.
No drama, just persistence:
doing the work that keeps love alive.
You might remember a task that anchors you,
a simple act repeated until it becomes prayer.
Light of mercy rising…
Healing in your wings.
Perhaps endurance feels different
when it’s not about striving,
but about staying faithful --
a heartbeat that keeps time with grace.
Let that patience stretch through your limbs,
as if the body itself knows how to remain true.
And as that steadiness takes root,
notice the spacious breath waiting beyond it.
>>>Reading IV (Luke 21:5-19)
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.
When some were speaking about the temple,
how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God,
Jesus said, "As for these things that you see,
the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another;
all will be thrown down."
They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be,
and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?"
And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray;
for many will come in my name and say, `I am he!' and, `The time is near!'
Do not go after them.
"When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for these things must take place first,
but the end will not follow immediately."
Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes,
and in various places famines and plagues;
and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
"But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you;
they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons,
and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.
This will give you an opportunity to testify.
So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance;
for I will give you words and a wisdom
that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.
You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers,
by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name.
But not a hair of your head will perish.
By your endurance you will gain your souls."
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
>>>Meditation IV (Luke 21:5-19)
The temple stones fall.
The world tilts and trembles.
Jesus speaks of endurance, not escape.
You might feel what it’s like
to stand in a world that shakes --
and still breathe.
Light of mercy rising…
Healing in your wings.
The end he describes is not an ending,
but a beginning unfolding through loss.
Your own heart has known this before --
when something had to fall
for something truer to emerge.
Perhaps now, as you breathe,
you sense that mercy again:
a quiet courage forming where fear once lived.
Let it shine in you
like the first calm light after a storm.
Stay here for a moment.
You don’t need to hold the moment --
just allow it to hold you.
>>>Body Blessing
Now, bring awareness gently back to the body --
to this living temple of spirit and earth.
You might breathe toward the crown of your head,
letting it feel open to light.
Toward your eyes and ears --
the gateways of seeing and hearing mercy.
Breathe down into your jaw,
your throat,
the spaces that speak and sing.
Down through your shoulders and arms --
those faithful servants of your work.
Let the breath gather in your heart,
softening it from within.
Flow now to the belly,
seat of courage and compassion.
To the hips and legs,
roots that bear your weight,
grounding you in the steady soil of being.
And finally, breathe all the way to your feet --
touching the good earth that sings with you.
Light of mercy rising…
Healing in your wings.
Let the whole body rest in that prayer.
One breath.
One song.
One mercy moving through all things.
And when you’re ready,
you may carry that warmth with you --
not as effort,
but as grace continuing.
>>>Farewell
As our time together comes to a close,
There is no hurry.
The breath that holds you goes with you into what is next.
When you speak, may your words carry kindness.
When you move, may your steps remember stillness.
And when you rest, may you feel the quiet joy
of belonging to all that is.
This is Breath of Love.
Until next time --
go gently,
and breathe peace.
The Bible texts (except for the Psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
The Psalm is from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
All other content is copyright 2025 by Breath of Love.