The Daily Meditation with Brother Richard

In this second meditation on the Peace Prayer of St. Francis, I invite you to reflect on the words: “Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”Beginning once again with the prayer to become an instrument of peace, we explore what hatred does within ourselves and within the wider human family. Rather than turning away from it, we bring it into contemplative awareness and consider its opposite: the expansive, hopeful movement of love.Like a farmer scattering seed, we may not immediately see the results of choosing love. Yet every opportunity to sow love carries the possibility of a future harvest of peace, compassion and reconciliation.Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: The Peace Prayer of St. Francis 00:41 – Opening bell 00:45 – Entering the present moment 01:26 – Letting go of past and future 01:58 – Relaxing into stillness 02:21 – Anchoring awareness in the breath 02:40 – Finding the still point of the breath 03:10 – Make me an instrument of your peace 03:29 – Breathing peace through body and mind 04:07 – Where there is hatred, let me sow love 04:38 – Understanding hatred 05:21 – What hatred does to us 06:13 – Recognising hatred within ourselves 07:08 – Finding the remedy 07:27 – What it means to sow love 08:08 – Trusting in a future harvest 08:53 – The expansive movement of love 09:32 – Where there is hatred, sow love 10:10 – Making an interior resolution 10:40 – Choosing love as our response 11:00 – Returning to the Peace Prayer 11:18 – Breathing in peace and breathing out love 11:52 – Returning to the body 12:21 – Closing bell

In this meditation, I invite you to enter into the ancient Christian tradition of prayer with your guardian angel.We begin in stillness, grounding ourselves in the breath and the present moment, before gently inviting the presence of the angel entrusted with accompanying us through life. There is no need to force an experience or particular feeling. Instead, we simply form an intention of openness, trust and cooperation.Through visualisation, prayer and the traditional Guardian Angel prayer, this meditation offers a quiet space to ask for guidance, protection and help on the journey towards the fullness of divine love.Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: Meditation on the angels 01:22 – Opening bell 01:34 – Entering stillness 02:05 – Following the rhythm of the breath 02:45 – Breathing through the whole body 03:11 – Recognising yourself as beloved 03:56 – Inviting your guardian angel 04:21 – Visualising the angel 05:10 – Acknowledging the angel’s presence 05:34 – Resting in goodness, love and truth 06:05 – Giving thanks for your angel 06:23 – Bringing your needs honestly into prayer 07:15 – Asking for help and assistance 07:40 – Forming an intention of friendship and cooperation 08:12 – Receiving the angel’s prayer and intercession 08:38 – The Guardian Angel prayer 09:26 – Deepening the visualisation 10:14 – Returning to the breath 10:41 – Remembering the angel’s presence 11:14 – Returning to the body 11:26 – Closing bell

In this meditation, I invite you to use the breath as a prayer for peace — within yourself and throughout the world.Drawing on the Christian and Franciscan understanding of the breath as an icon of the divine Spirit, we begin by becoming deeply aware of our own breathing. With each in-breath, we receive peace. With each out-breath, we offer that peace to people, situations and places where it is needed.This is a gentle practice of mindful breathing, prayer and intercession, helping us reconnect with inner peace while extending compassion and loving intention beyond ourselves.Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: Breathing peace to the world 00:43 – Opening bell 01:03 – Arriving in the present moment 01:21 – Settling the body 01:58 – Checking in with yourself 02:23 – Becoming aware of the breath 02:46 – Noticing the sensations of breathing 03:29 – Following the movement of the breath 04:09 – Breathing out tension and worry 04:43 – Receiving peace with each breath 05:16 – Allowing the breath to become prayer 05:37 – Breathing peace to those who need it 06:31 – Praying peace upon the world 07:14 – Breathing peace within yourself 07:49 – Filling the whole body with peace 08:18 – Three cycles of peaceful breathing 09:10 – Returning to the body 09:32 – Carrying mindful breathing into the day 09:57 – Closing bell

In this meditation, we explore the ancient contemplative practice of the inner smile — a way of cultivating inner warmth, gentleness and peace at the centre of our being.Found in many traditions, the inner smile is the practice of allowing a quiet, peaceful warmth to arise within us, independent of external circumstances. It reminds us that even in difficulty, we can remain anchored in the deeper peace of the heart.Together, we begin by gathering the scattered parts of ourselves — body, mind and heart — and bringing them back into the present moment through the breath. From there, we gently awaken the inner smile: a warm, generous, compassionate presence that restores balance and perspective.This meditation helps cultivate emotional steadiness, self-compassion and positive regard, while also extending that peace outward towards others.It is a powerful practice for grounding, healing, stress relief and reconnecting with joy.This meditation offers support for mindfulness, compassion, emotional balance, inner calm and contemplative awareness.It can be used as part of a daily meditation practice, during times of stress or emotional heaviness, or as a moment of calm, winding down and preparation for sleep.Chapters:00:00 – Introduction: The practice of the inner smile00:45 – Opening bell01:01 – Entering meditation and recollecting the self01:47 – Gathering body, mind and heart together02:47 – Anchoring in the breath04:01 – Resting in the still point of the breath04:57 – Checking in: How am I right now?06:18 – Awakening the inner smile07:19 – Smiling into body, mind and heart07:53 – Extending the inner smile to others08:42 – Choosing peace, joy and positive regard10:32 – Returning to the body11:07 – Closing bell

In this guided Christian meditation, Brother Richard continues his Meditations on the Natural World series by reflecting on the wisdom of the beasts of the earth.Inspired by the Franciscan tradition, this meditation invites us to rediscover our place within creation—not as separate from the natural world, but as part of God's living family. Through gentle body awareness, imagination and contemplation, we learn from the animals around us: their presence, simplicity, trust and harmony with the world they inhabit.As we remember beloved companion animals, contemplate the diversity of life on earth, and give thanks for our own bodies, we're invited to grow in reverence for all creation and to embrace our calling as faithful stewards of God's gifts.Perfect for daily Christian meditation, contemplative prayer, relaxation, preparing for restful sleep, or anyone seeking a deeper connection with God through the beauty and wisdom of the natural world.Chapters00:00 – Introduction: The wisdom of the beasts01:00 – Opening bell01:09 – Receiving your body as gift02:49 – Letting go of criticism04:49 – Grounded in the earth05:48 – Learning from companion animals07:33 – The wisdom of all creatures09:05 – What can this animal teach me?10:39 – Gratitude for the beasts of the earth11:29 – Resolution for the day12:53 – Closing bell

In this meditation, I invite you to use the body as an anchor into the present moment.We begin by settling gently into stillness, allowing the spine to lengthen and the breath to move naturally. From there, attention is brought into the body, noticing the simple sensations of breathing and the quiet presence of being here.You are invited to ask a simple question: how am I in my body in this moment? Whatever arises is received without judgement, simply noticed with honesty and care.For many of us, our relationship with the body can be difficult. We may compare, judge or feel uneasy within it. This practice offers a different way. Instead of turning away, we gently return and allow the body to become a place of grounding and presence.Through awareness of the breath, the contact with the seat, and the feeling of the body from within, we begin to come home. The body becomes an anchor, steadying us in the here and now.This meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you rest in the body and return to a deeper sense of presence.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction00:30 – Awareness of who we are00:57 – The body as an anchor01:25 – Entering present moment awareness01:30 – The bell01:48 – Entering with gentleness02:20 – Lengthening the spine02:30 – Awareness of the breath03:00 – Feeling the breath in the belly03:15 – Checking in with the body03:30 – Receiving without judgement03:40 – Our relationship with the body04:00 – This is the body we have04:20 – Coming home to the body05:25 – The senses of the body06:30 – Contact with the seat and clothing07:10 – The ebb and flow of the breath07:20 – “This is my body in this moment”07:50 – Accepting the body as anchor08:20 – Feelings about the body10:10 – Returning to the room10:50 – Closing bell

In this meditation, I invite you to pray and meditate with one of the oldest words in the Christian contemplative tradition: Maranatha.This ancient phrase, often translated as "Come, Lord", has been used for centuries as a simple prayer of the heart. Rather than analysing the meaning, we allow the word to accompany the breath and gently gather the attention.As we settle into breath awareness, the phrase is repeated slowly within the rhythm of breathing. We divide the word into its four syllables, ma, ra, na, tha, allowing each part to rest softly within the breath.Over time the mind becomes quieter and the breath naturally deepens. The word becomes a steady anchor, helping us return again and again to stillness.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you rest in the breath and return to the present moment.Chapters00:00 – Introduction00:20 – Meditating with a word00:30 – The ancient phrase Maranatha00:45 – Meaning of the word01:10 – The bell02:50 – Breath awareness03:20 – Breathing in, breathing out05:00 – Dividing the word into syllables08:20 – Noticing the breath change09:20 – Closing bell

In this meditation, we take a deeper look at the patterns of thought that can become so familiar and automatic that we barely notice them.Rather than trying to stop or change our thoughts, we practise observing them: noticing what arises as we prepare to meditate, settle the body and become aware of the breath.By stepping into the role of observer, we can begin to recognise where thoughts, feelings and sensations originate and discover the wisdom contained in our recurring inner patterns.Chapters: 00:00 – Introducing our patterns of thought 00:40 – How do you feel about coming to meditation? 01:40 – Thoughts surrounding the practice 02:35 – What is your practice around the practice? 03:20 – Settling into formal meditation 04:05 – What happens to our thoughts as we sit? 05:00 – Tracing thoughts to their origin 05:50 – Bringing awareness to the breath 06:45 – What do you think about your breathing? 08:00 – Breath and patterns of thought 09:20 – Going deeper into the practice 10:20 – Noticing distraction and frustration 11:30 – Getting to know your meditating self 12:20 – Following thoughts back to their beginning 13:05 – Meditating with the whole being 14:20 – Thoughts, sensations and emotions 15:10 – What is it like to be you here now? 16:00 – Returning from the observer self 16:55 – Resting for three cycles of breath 17:45 – Bringing peace into the day 18:10 – Closing bell

We continue our series of meditating with Mary, looking to her as a great teacher of contemplative and meditative prayer.Mary’s response to divine grace offers a simple but profound practice: “Behold, here I am.” In meditation, these words become an invitation to stop resisting the present moment and to say yes to reality as it is, to divine grace and to the love from which each moment arises.Chapters: 00:00 – Mary as a teacher of meditation 00:55 – Entering the meditation 02:00 – Relaxing into the breath 03:20 – Opening to the present moment 04:00 – Mary’s path of saying yes 05:10 – Our resistance to reality 06:00 – Behold, here I am 07:05 – Saying yes to divine grace 08:15 – Opening to divine love and will 09:15 – Let it be done 10:20 – Breathing in peace and grace 11:20 – Behold, here I am 12:25 – Living the teaching of Mary 13:15 – Receiving each moment 14:05 – Bringing openness into daily life 15:10 – Closing bell