Step #1: Lectio / ReadClick the link below or open your Bible to the passage and read through the reading at least once, paying attention to what is happening in the text. Step #2: Meditatio / MeditateUse the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again). If you start to look around, you will start to notice all the ways He shows His love for you. As I am writing this I am in Rome in a tiny apartment while my brother seminarians sleep. We got here yesterday after 11 hours of flying. I knew God wanted me to come here to visit the brothers who go to school here, and so I saved up the money and let the planning commence, but I didn’t know that in the first day the Lord would surprise me in beautiful and unique ways. While waiting in line to enter into St. Peter’s there was a young couple next to me and they were joking amongst themselves. In that light joking I could feel how much they cared about one another. It filled my heart to encounter that simple human love while preparing my heart to enter into this great and universal Church. We entered the Church and immediately I realized that St. John Paul II was buried on the side of the Church. One of the seminarians gives a lot of credit to this great saint for his conversion, and when I pointed St. John Paul out I watched his heart fill with a childlike excitement. I was moved by his love of the saint and wanted to love St. John Paul even more. We continued walking and boom, there was St. Pius X, my patron saint, and I began to ask him to intercede for me, for my priesthood andthat I would remember to love first. I spent all day fighting jet lag, and when I did God surprised me with all of these amazing moments of love. When Jesus is baptized, the heavens open and God proclaims His love for Jesus. As we read in Mark, "And a voice came from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."" Can you imagine the love Jesus felt from the Father in that moment? He heard so clearly, as did all those around Him, that He was loved by God. God loves you the same way. You are His beloved child. And He wants you to know how much He loves you. The heavens might not open and you might not hear God's booming voice from the sky, but each day God is letting you know in many little ways that He loves you. Every day God has a plan for you, and He gives us little reminders of how and where to walk. Sometimes His plan might seem boring or unfulfilling, other times it might seem too challenging and not worth fighting for. But we must always remember that God loves us. We might not always see it, but His love is always there. We have to be open to it, and we have to look for it. Do not be afraid to take a step forward in God’s plan. Love awaits you. Step #3: Oratio / PrayThese questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today. Do you believe that you are loved by God? That you are His beloved child? You are God's beloved child. What does this mean to you? How do you experience God's love? Through the actions of others? In prayer? Step #4: Contemplatio / ContemplateIn this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord. "God loves me." "How He loves us." "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." Step #5: Actio / ActIn light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with Lord bear fruit in you today? Today, pay careful attention to the little things, all the little moments that God is letting you know that He loves you. At the end of the day, review all of the moments and sit in the peace that comes from knowing you are loved by God. Smartphone Lock ScreenThe following image is here for you to save and use as a background or lock screen on your smartphone or device to help you carry today's Lectio Divina with you the rest of the day.  Today's prayer was prepared by Robert Blood, seminarian of the Diocese of Rockford.
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