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). Are you waiting on the Lord for a specific word or blessing? Have you been begging him for an answer to prayer and he just hasn’t given it to you yet? I know in my own life, far too often does my impatience get the best of me, especially when it comes to my relationship with God. On Monday I declare my trust and faith in Him. On Tuesday I am frustrated with Him, and on Wednesday I am just completely done. Then Thursday rolls around and I have opened my bible up to pray, and Friday I’m feeling better about things...It can be a vicious cycle, one that can truly take a toll on our spiritual lives. Something as simple as our daily prayer requires an immense amount of trust in God. A level of trust that can say, “God, I am going to ask this of you, or hand this situation over to you, and I know you will answer me/provide clarity on your time, not mine.” Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, the reason we haven’t “heard” from God yet is because we are not ready? We have to trust that God will answer us on His time, and as we see in today’s Gospel, Jesus literally tells His disciples that they are not yet ready for the rest of what He has for them. This will take an incredible amount of humility, but if we seek to surrender our expectations and trust more fully in the Lord and His goodness, we will live with a much greater peace and joy. Let us grow in patience, and like the disciples in today’s Gospel, let us anxiously await the power of the Holy Spirit to help ready us for what God has in store. 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. Are there any specific prayers that you've been praying for a while? Or maybe things on your heart that you haven't vocalized but you've been longing for? Vocalize them to God in faith now. What do you do when you find that God has not answered a prayer that you've prayed? How do you seek to trust Him even when His timing is different than yours? Have you asked God for the humility, the patience, and the faith that it takes to understand His timing and His will? 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 trust You." "Your timing is good." "I will wait for 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? In your prayer today, entrust to God all of the things that you are hoping for and you desire, and then live with the trust that He heard you. Whether or not the answer comes right away, trust that it is coming and seek, as you live your life, to call to mind the joy of knowing God is listening and His will for your life is good. 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 Connor Flanagan, a Youth Minister and Catholic Musician who lives in St. Paul, MN.
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