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) Authority is a funny thing- we spend a lot of our lives stuck underneath someone’s authority- whether it be our parents, teachers, baby sitters, or someone else who watched us and looked out for our well being. We constantly want to push back against authority because we don’t like the burdens that rules and regulations bring. But it’s interesting that the people who often have authority over us are who they are… almost everyone in your life who has ever had authority over you was in a position of being responsible for you and your well-being. Authority is given to those who can help protect us and lead us away from the bad and towards the good. It’s funny when we stop and realize that authority is directly tied up with care and love. With Jesus, it is no different. For the people Jesus was preaching to in the synagogue that Sabbath day, their experience of authority was very limited but powerful; the Law was the authority of the people of Israel. For years they lived according to rules and regulations that they wanted to rebel against- just like all of us in those overly-angsty teenage years. These people didn’t have a living person who was looking out for and promoting their well being, they simply had a list of laws and prohibitions given to them by God. And this is precisely why Jesus’ actions in the gospel today are so important! Jesus brings the Law and the authority of God to us in love and compassion. No longer do God’s people have a book of Laws to dictate how they are to live- a far off and distant authority that doesn’t seem to care very much about their well being, but they have a living person who heals, blesses, and pours out love on his people. Today we see the beautiful reality of a God who wields authority to cast out demons, yet also loves us and cares for us enough to wield that same authority to lead us into happiness and life. Spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ authority in your own life, especially in those moments when we think He is asking us to give up too much of our lives, and ask Him to help reveal His love in the midst of His authority. 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. How do you view authority? Do you see how it is directly tied up with care and love? Do you see God's love and compassion in His authority? Do you accept that love and strive to know Christ and live in a relationship with Him? How can you live more under God's authority and grow in the love and freedom that it brings? 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 "Lead me." "Humble me." "I love You." 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 the Lord bear fruit in you today. Today in prayer, take time to reflect on Jesus’ authority in your own life, especially in those moments when we think He is asking us to give up too much of our lives, and ask Him to help reveal His love in the midst of His authority. 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 Adam Smyth, a high school youth minister at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Ellicott City, MD.
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) Saint Ignatius of Loyola is known for his work on the Discernment of the Spirits. His writing on discernment was a product of his own experience, in particular when he was wounded during a battle as a soldier and had to be confined into seclusion for his healing and recovery. This was when he started reading not just books of chivalry but on the lives of the saints. He admitted that, when he would read books about knights and their lives, it would stir his manly heart for fighting, but when he read on the lives of the saints, his heart was inspired and he received peace. We hear the Gospel today about the stormy boat while the Lord was sleeping until He was awaken by his apostles. With such a rocky boat, I have a feeling that the Lord Jesus was just waiting for the apostles to ask Him to do something. Our heart is the boat and, like St. Ignatius’ heart, at times we surround our heart with stories and scenes that stir us into restlessness. These scenes, images, and stories bring storms into our hearts and lives that make us feel afraid, agitated, alone, and abandoned by the Lord. But the Lord has not abandoned us! St. Augustine said that God is closer to us than we are to ourselves. He is within, waiting for us to call on Him in the stormy dark night of our life. As soon as we do that, all that He has to do is to command our stormy heart to be quiet and be still. Let us rest in the words of the Lord. Let us heed His command to be quiet and still. Let not the restlessness bother us, because He is more powerful than any chaos that can come our way. Today, rest in the Lord. Be quiet. Be still…and know that He is God. 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 What are the storms in your life right? In what ways are you feeling agitated, and maybe have come to think that God has abandoned you? How can you quiet your heart and mind today in order to hear the peace that the Lord offers? What are things in your life which you can cut out - songs, shows, instagram accounts you follow, etc. - which bring you stress and make you feel restless? How can you replace those things with peace and joy in the Lord? 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. "You are my peace." "I find rest in You." "Help me be quiet." 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 the Lord bear fruit in you today Find a time today where you can be totally silent and disconnect. Turn off all devices. Put down everything which may distract you. Simply choose total and complete silence and spend that time with the Lord - even if it's just five minutes, give Him total silence. 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 Fr. Ervin Caliente, priest of the Diocese of Rockford.
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) Most of the time, I’m convinced that my faith has to be big in order for it to mean something. Often, I think what that means for me is that my faith must feel big. If my faith doesn’t feel big enough that I’m confident that God has the power to tackle the big problems of this world and of my life, then I must not have much faith. And often, that leads to a lot of fear in my heart. Because the truth is, I don’t always feel like I believe that God has the power to end world hunger or achieve world peace or abolish racism and hatred. I don’t always feel like I believe that He has the power to convert my atheist parents or take care of my big financial problems or heal this wounded relationship that is causing me pain. I don’t even always feel like I believe He has the power to overcome the little, seemingly insignificant problems that plague my day today! But Jesus’ parable in the Gospel passage for today speaks hope in the midst of the hopelessness and fear that my small faith can make me feel. Because Jesus doesn’t ask for us to have a faith that feels big. A mustard seed, the smallest of all the seeds, is the size faith He asks of us. That takes a lot of the pressure off, don’t you think? All that Jesus asks of us is to plant that little faith in our hearts -- He’ll do the rest. He’ll water it, give it sunlight, make it grow. He’ll cultivate that faith in our hearts until it’s big enough for us to pray boldly and confidently for the bigger problems that we each face in life. He doesn’t ask us for the courage to climb a mountain this day. He asks us for the courage to climb a little hill. So in the words of C.S. Lewis, “Courage, dear heart.” Our God is bigger than any mountain we face, even if our faith today feels smaller than the smallest mustard seed. 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 What are the problems you are praying for and trying to conquer today? What seeds of faith do you see God planting in your heart and in your life? Do you have faith even the size of a mustard seed? 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 "Courage, dear heart." "Plant faith in my heart." "You are bigger than any mountain I face." 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 the Lord bear fruit in you today? Take a step back today from all the worries, fears, and problems that plague your heart. Ask the Lord for the gift of faith, even if it's only the size of a mustard seed, and trust that God can and will do a lot even with the littlest seed. 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 Catie Destatte, a Saint Paul's Outreach Missionary at University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, MN.
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) Okay, you know the movie Tangled? I hope so! If not, make that your next movie night because you seriously need to see it! Okay, back to the movie, if you’ve seen Tangled then you know in the very beginning, Rapulzel’s captor, Gothel (who she only knows as her mother) has hidden the magic flower so she can use it for herself. Spoiler alert: Gothel is the bad guy in this movie. She used it for selfish reasons and kept it hidden until one day the castle guards found it. What happened when that glowing, magic flower was discovered? The power it contained saved both the Queen’s and Rapunzel’s life. What’s my point? Well, in today’s gospel, Jesus says, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears ought to hear.” When I was reading this, my mind went to that scene where the glowing, magic flower is hidden under what looks like a basket. The power it contained had the potential to do so much good, but Gothel chose evil whereas, the King chose good. It would never have done any good hidden away like that. I find myself relating to the flower in this analogy (I know it’s weird, just stick with me…) I can either keep quiet or I can speak out. I have a unique set of gifts and talents that the Lord has given me! But, how am I going to use those? Will I choose to use them selfishly and not share them? Will I choose to use them for good and share the gifts that the Lord has given me? Jesus also says, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” Jesus tells us that if we choose good, if we choose to give of ourselves, if we choose to share our gifts and serve those around us, then more will be given to us. Friends, Jesus promises us great rewards in Heaven for serving His Kingdom here on earth! If you’ve seen Tangled you know it ends SO WELL! That stems from that choice of good over evil. Who do you relate to in this analogy? Where do you need to share more of yourself? What gift could you use more to serve those around you? Take some time in prayer today to ask the Lord to show you the gifts and talents He has given you, and then ask Him to give you the grace to use them for good! 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 What gifts can I be using for your kingdom? Am I generous with what you have given me? 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. Jesus, I am here. I worship you. 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 the Lord bear fruit in you today Find that area in your life right now that you are not living to the fullest and give it your all for the Glory of 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 reflection was written by Anna Roche.
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