Praying the Sunday Mass Readings with St Beuno’s Outreach

St Beuno’s Outreach is based in St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in the hills of North Wales, in the Diocese of Wrexham. The Outreach began in 1989, with the idea of helping people develop and maintain a personal relationship with God through Christ by praying the Word of God in the Sunday liturgy. From a prayerful awareness of the Spirit working in and through us will come a sense of mission, a desire to join Christ in his mission.

How to pray with Scripture - from St Beuno's Outreach
It is usually most helpful when entering into a formal period of prayer to spend some time quietening down and centring on God. The following indications, known as “Anchor Points” have been found to provide a good framework for your prayer. Particularly important after coming to some inner quiet is the slow entry and slow exit from prayer.

FOUR ANCHOR POINTS

  1. PREPARATION

Choose your place of prayer. Make yourself comfortable, you may like to light a candle. Get in touch with your feelings: What is my frame of mind? What do I want to say to the Lord; what do I desire?

  1. ENTRY INTO PRAYER

Become quiet and still. Relax. Try to put aside any distractions. Choose a passage of scripture. Make the sign of the cross, visibly or in your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer. Read your chosen text slowly several times. Notice what comforts or disturbs you.

  1. SLOW EXIT FROM PRAYER

Speak to the Lord in your own words about this time of prayer, what has it meant to you. Perhaps finish with the Glory be to the Father or a favourite prayer of your own. Make a sign of the cross, internal or external. Leave your place of prayer, thanking God for the time he has spent with you.

  1. REFLECTION AFTER PRAYER

Ask for whatever grace you need to respond to our Lord, “with my whole heart, my whole soul, my whole mind”. If possible, do this in a different place. Recall the prayer period: Was it good to be at prayer?  Did you learn something; maybe feel that the Lord was asking something of you? Notice how you are feeling now. You may find it helpful to jot down your thoughts in a notebook.

Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year A, 22nd March 2026

‘Unbind him and let him go’

As we approach Holy Week, our readings focus on the theme of being restored to life. The Scripture is full of hope, inviting us to trust in God’s promise of resurrection and eternal life.

The Israelites, living in exile in Babylon, lack hope and direction (First Reading). But the Lord speaks through the prophet Ezekiel, telling how he will raise them up. He will put his Spirit within them, giving them new life, and restore them to their homeland.

This prophesy is fulfilled in the Gospel. Here, God’s love and power over death are made known as Lazarus is raised by Jesus, the One who brings life where there is death. Jesus reveals himself as ‘the resurrection and the life’, calling us to believe and trust in him. His deep compassion and love are highlighted as he weeps with Mary and Martha.                                               

The Psalm encourages us to cry out to the Lord with longing and honesty. In expressing deep sorrow for our sins, we can trust in the Lord’s ‘mercy and plentiful redemption’.

St Paul (Second Reading) reminds us that living by Christ’s Spirit – the Spirit of truth, love, compassion and justice – gives us hope, and brings true life and peace.

In my prayer today, I might reflect deeply on who Jesus really is, and what it is that he brings. What might living by his Spirit look like for me this week?

Prego Lent 5 Year A (2026)Download
Prego Plus Lent 5 Year A (2026)rDownload

Previous Posts

1 2 … 120