Home is Better

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. 

John 14:1-6

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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).

​I love to travel.

I love to see new cities, new sites, I love to try new foods.

I love to visit new churches and see the way other groups of Catholics worship God in the same way, but also in somewhat different ways all throughout the world.

I love to go, to get away on family vacations or trips with friends. Exploring is fun. I've got a touch of the wanderlust.

As much as I love to travel, I love to come home.

I love coming back to my bed. I love my pillow. I love making my toast the way I'm used to making my toast, and drinking my coffee the way I always make my coffee.

Traveling is great. Home is better.

Jesus reminds us today: we're not made for now, we're made for later. Home is not here, home is in heaven. This life is awesome. It's filled with so much joy and community and laughter and peace...then again...sometimes it's not. 

In the highs and the lows, in the hills and the valleys, in the triumphs and the struggles, the Christian remembers: I just can't wait to get home.

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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.

How do you react when something throws you off your routine? Are you a person that relies on a calendar and routine to make sure you take care of the things you need, or do you handle change and inconsistency well? Knowing yourself is helpful to your prayer and faith life, so take some time to pray through this. 

When you think of heaven, what do you picture / think of? Do you find yourself longing for heaven?

What are some of the mountain top highs in your life right now? How about some areas where you're in a valley? How can you trust God more in both of them?

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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.

"You are good."

"You are my home."

"I long for You."

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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?

As you go through your routine today, reflect on the eternity of heaven and let your heart long for that place, which is your true home.

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Smartphone Lock Screen

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.

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Today's prayer was prepared by Fr. Jon Bakkelund, priest of the Diocese of Rockford.