The Daily Meditation with Brother Richard

In this meditation, I reflect on the fruits of meditation practice and the difference our practice can make beyond the time we spend sitting in stillness. Meditation can offer relaxation and rest, but its deeper value is found in the way it gradually shapes how we relate to ourselves, to others and to the circumstances of daily life.
We begin by noticing what it is like simply to enter meditation. There may be openness, resistance, discipline or a hunger for stillness. Rather than judging any of these reactions, we meet them with curiosity and allow ourselves to become present to the body, the breath, our thoughts and our feelings.
From this place of awareness, we consider what our meditation practice is producing in our lives. Can we notice a difference between the days when we meditate and the days when we do not? Can we recognise the beginnings of greater peace, stability or joy?
The meditation then focuses on peace and joy as fruits of practice. Peace is not a flatness or withdrawal from life, but the ability to remain connected to an inner stillness even when circumstances around us are unsettled. Joy, similarly, is more than a response to happy circumstances. It can emerge from the deeper knowledge that we are held in unconditional and infinite divine love.
This meditation offers an opportunity to reflect on your own daily meditation practice and to gently cultivate the seeds of peace and joy already present within it.

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: The fruits of meditation
00:50 – Opening bell
01:04 – Entering the time of meditation
01:56 – Sitting with awareness
02:52 – Noticing body, thoughts and emotions
03:57 – Deepening into the breath
04:58 – What is the truth of my meditation practice?
06:38 – How meditation permeates our lives
07:10 – The fruit of peace
08:22 – Touching the peace within
08:38 – The fruit of joy
09:31 – Resting as the beloved
10:28 – Breathing in peace and breathing out joy
11:03 – Seeking the seeds of peace and joy
12:11 – Returning to the day
12:25 – Closing bell

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In this meditation, I turn to the moon as an ancient image of the contemplative life.
Across many meditation traditions, the changing phases of the moon have been used as a symbol of our own inner experience. The moon grows towards fullness, gradually fades, disappears and then begins again.
Our meditation practice can move through similar phases.
There are times when awareness feels clear, full and bright. At other times, we may experience distraction, tiredness, uncertainty or even a sense that our practice has disappeared altogether.
The moon reminds us that none of these phases is permanent.
We begin by settling into the body and breath before recalling the last time we noticed the moon. From there, we allow its different phases to become images of growth, fullness, decline and renewal within our own lives.
In the Franciscan tradition, the moon is affectionately called Sister Moon, accompanying us through the darkness with reflected light.
This meditation offers a gentle practice of patience, perseverance and acceptance, reminding us to continue through every phase and trust that light will return.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: The moon as an image of meditation
01:57 – Opening bell
02:30 – Settling through the senses
03:10 – Resting in the breath
04:20 – Remembering the moon
05:29 – Learning from its changing phases
06:00 – Seasons of growth and decline
06:25 – Accepting the phase you are in
06:59 – Visualising the cycle of the moon
07:26 – The changing phases of meditation
08:10 – Resting beneath the night sky
08:59 – Letting the image fade
09:19 – Carrying the moon’s lesson forward
09:45 – Returning from meditation
09:55 – Closing bell

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In this meditation, I return to the ancient contemplative practice of the versiculum — the “little word.”
A versiculum is a short sacred word or phrase repeated inwardly during meditation. Used alongside the breath, it becomes a strong anchor that can help steady attention and draw us away from distraction.
We begin by settling into the body and senses before bringing awareness gently to the rhythm of breathing. When thoughts, emotions or inner narratives arise, we simply notice them and return to the breath.
From there, we choose a word or short phrase that feels appropriate for this particular meditation. It might be a traditional sacred word such as Maranatha, a simple word such as “peace” or “calm,” or another phrase that arises naturally.
Rather than forcing the word to match the breath, we allow each to find its own rhythm until word and breath begin to work together.
Eventually the word fades, leaving only the breath and the present moment.
This meditation offers a practical method for developing concentration, contemplative prayer and a simple anchor that can also be used throughout everyday life.

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Returning to the versiculum
01:22 – Opening bell
01:54 – Settling into the body and senses
02:46 – Bringing awareness to the breath
03:41 – Returning when distraction arises
04:33 – Choosing a sacred word or phrase
04:52 – Examples of the little word
05:19 – Finding the word that calls to you
05:48 – Learning the shape and sound of the word
06:32 – Repeating the word in stillness
07:22 – Silent practice with the versiculum
08:03 – Bringing word and breath together
08:42 – Allowing the word to fade
09:06 – Using the word throughout the day
09:26 – Returning to the body
09:39 – Closing bell

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In this meditation, I use the changing seasons — particularly the movement into autumn — as a way of reflecting on change within our own lives.
Meditation invites us into the present moment, but the present moment itself is always moving. Seasons change, weather shifts and our own circumstances continually unfold.
We begin by grounding ourselves in the earth beneath us and becoming aware of its constant movement. Just as nature gradually passes from spring into summer, autumn and winter, our lives also move through different seasons.
The tree becomes our central image. It does not resist the season it finds itself in. Bud, leaf, fruit and bare branch each belong to a different moment.
In the same way, meditation can help us ask what response is appropriate to this particular season of our own life. What needs nourishment? What needs to be released? What might peace or joy look like here, rather than in some other season?
This practice offers support during periods of transition and change, encouraging acceptance, grounding, compassion and trust in the present moment.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Meditation and the changing seasons
00:52 – Opening bell
01:21 – Receiving meditation as a gift
02:24 – Grounding in the earth
03:18 – Moving through the seasons
03:56 – Entering autumn
04:54 – Our emotional response to change
05:32 – Learning from the tree
06:13 – Accepting the season of your life
06:40 – Letting go of the narrative
07:16 – Responding appropriately to the moment
08:07 – What does this season ask of me?
09:00 – Rooted like the tree
09:21 – Growing towards the future
10:18 – Returning to the body
10:32 – Intending to live seasonally
11:08 – Preparing to return
11:16 – Closing bell

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In this meditation, I continue our series exploring the story of the prophet Elijah as a map of the contemplative journey.

Previously we encountered the storm, an image of the distracting thoughts that arise when we enter meditation. The second trial Elijah encounters is fire.
Here, fire becomes an image of desire — particularly the desire for ourselves, our circumstances or the present moment to be different from what they are.
Desire itself is not necessarily negative. Some desires may lead towards growth, goodness and change. Others may arise from fear, ego or dissatisfaction. The work of meditation is not to suppress desire, but to hold it clearly in awareness and discern which movements are useful and which can be gently released.
Using the breath as an anchor, we return again and again to the quiet centre beneath both thought and desire.
This meditation offers a practice of contemplative awareness, acceptance and discernment, helping us recognise the sparks of desire without allowing them to consume us.

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Elijah and the second trial
01:26 – Opening bell
02:26 – Entering the cave through the breath
03:34 – Meeting the storm of thoughts
04:05 – Finding the eye of the storm
05:10 – The fire of desire
05:27 – Wanting reality to be different
06:19 – Discerning the sparks of desire
07:09 – Finding stillness within the fire
07:54 – Abiding until desire recedes
08:28 – Trusting the peace of the breath
09:06 – Resting beyond thought and desire
09:35 – Returning to the body
09:48 – Choosing the good and letting go
10:18 – Closing bell

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