CARPE VERBUM
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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). I love the Green Bay Packers. I love musicals. I love grilling and being outside with my buddies. I love campfires. I love golfing. I love to go boating and be on the water. I love love love to travel and see new places – and especially experience new foods. I love playing the piano. I could keep going, but these are all parts of my life that I really enjoy. I think there’s a temptation to put Jesus or our Catholic Faith in a similar list. I love golf. I love football. I love Jesus. But today’s Gospel reminds us: Jesus isn’t a hobby. Christian living isn’t one compartment in the many compartments of modern living. No. No. To be a disciple of Jesus is total, radical, complete, daunting, demanding. It calls us out of ourselves. Discipleship necessitates conversion. Discipleship necessitates sacrifice. In the preface to a book about Cardinal Ratzinger (who would become Pope Benedict XVI) his biographer wrote that before you can understand anything about Joseph Ratzinger, you’ve gotta understand that he sees the world, he sees reality, through particularly Christian lenses. That’s what today’s Gospel is all about. If we’re going to follow Jesus, if we’re going to be His modern day disciples, then everything we do, everything we’re about has to be about following Jesus. To be Our Lord’s disciples, we’ve gotta do the spiritual hokey pokey and put our whole selves in. That’s what it’s all about. 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. When you think of discipleship, what do you think of? What does that mean to you? How can you truly allow your relationship with the Lord to be front and center in your life? What things in your life are not currently focused on Jesus being the center? How can that grow and you truly be converted to Him more and more? 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. "I choose You." "I'm all in." "You are everything to me." 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? Make a change in your schedule today to put Jesus first. Pray before netflix gets turned on, make a stop at the Church on your way home, or spend some time visiting a loved one who can use some encouragement. Whatever it is, put Jesus before yourself and don't let Him be just another thing today. 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. Jon Bakkelund, priest of the Diocese of Rockford.
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