Family Dinner

11/5/2018

Step #1: Lectio / Read

Click 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.

LUKE 14:12-14

Step #2: Meditatio / Meditate

Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).

My family has been having weekly Sunday dinners for as long as I can remember. It has changed over time as the family grew larger and grew up. What my parents started as a young couple with “It would be so nice to have dinner together, it would be a great family thing to do” when my sibling and I were little, it became a “You better be at dinner we haven't seen you all week and I swear you might as well be a ghost!” when we were in high school, and has resolved into the “Nice to see you, but where are my grandkids!” dinner of today.

But my favorite thing about family dinner is that over time it became less about us, because through my parents loving my extended family, friends of friends, and someone who just lived in the neighborhood, we grew up to then learn how to love “the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” as Jesus says in today's Gospel but also “the nobody from class, the stranger in line at Walgreens, that person at work” and those that I had already written of as “not my type of people”.

It’s great! But understand that the consequences of this effort have led to falling short or failing (frequently), awkward conversations, people that don't come back, judgment from classmates, and one minor case of calling someone an uber. The other consequence is that we added 2 more tables for Thanksgiving, laugh frequently, and have introduced people to Jesus. The Jesus who invites us to love, not just when it is convenient or a small risk, because “blessed indeed will you be” when we have nothing to gain, and can only give. Who is that person in your life that needs love? That you see but have until now remained distant. We all know who this person is, we see them at school, church, work. Read this gospel again and pray during that time for God to provide an opportunity to love them like Jesus this week, then do so.

Step #3: Oratio / Pray

These 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.

Who do you invite to encounter the Lord?

How can you bring God's love through hospitality?

How can you go out of your comfort zone to share the Gospel?

Step #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate

In 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.

"Open your home."

"Invite others."

"Share the gospel."

Step #5: Actio / Act

In 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?

Who can you invite in to share the Gospel? Plan a time to invite others into your home and into community.

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The 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 Isaac Weickert, Youth Minister at St. Peter Catholic Church in Geneva, IL.

If you have anything you'd like our team to pray for, please go to the page of our website called "Prayers" and let us know how we can pray for you today.

CARPE VERBUM