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). “The kingdom of God is at hand.” Take a moment to think about your life. Think about the people you will see today, the things you’re going to do, your family, your work and/or school, all the things that will impact you today. All these things that make up your life? These are part of the kingdom of God. I know it doesn’t look like it, and it doesn’t feel like it, but God has you exactly where you’re supposed to be right now. Everyone around you was placed around you for a very specific reason, put in your life because that was genuinely the will of God. All your friends, teammates, co-workers, siblings, your parents, etc.; everyone and everything around you is in your life for a very specific reason. The kingdom of God is at hand. It’s right around you. You have the ability to go out today and genuinely introduce others to Christ, to be a strong example of His undying love and joy for others. Do you know how much power is within you, giving you the ability to do that? You could literally be the reason someone turns back to God today. Don’t doubt the power of the Holy Spirit within you, especially during this time of Lent when we specifically take time to turn our hearts back to God. The kingdom of God is at hand. This also means that God can (and will) use the things around you to speak to you today, to reach out to you and remind you of His constant and faithful love for you. In every moment, God is telling you how much He loves you. Just as you have the ability to be a witness of God’s love to others, God might just use others today to remind you of His love. In your ability to receive an education, by waking you up this morning, keeping you warm, fed, safe, etc., God is reminding you of His love for you. Whether you are called to love or to be loved by God today, look for signs of God’s love around you. God placed everyone and everything in your life for a reason; what might some of those reasons be? What good has come out of the things in your life? Whatever it is, trust that God is there in those things. The kingdom of God is at hand. Today is a great day to acknowledge God around us, acknowledge our shortcomings, and repent of them and turn back to God, loving Him through all He has given us. 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. Where do you see the kingdom of God around you? What can you do today to bring the kingdom of God to others? God loves you. How has He loved you today? (Or yesterday if you're reading this in the morning.) 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. "The Kingdom of God is at hand." "God loves me." "Repent and turn to God." 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 is Sunday, a mini-Easter where we celebrate that Christ is risen and the kingdom of God is at hand. Today, make a point to share the gospel with someone that God has placed in your life. 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 Tatiana Schaffer, a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying Engineering and Psychology.
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