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). How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God! I was helping lead a vocation camp for high school and college aged men a few weeks ago, and I was inspired by one of my brothers the very first evening. We had just finished signing everyone in and I was walking to the little groups of families and seminarians to tell them we would be starting Mass soon so they could head into the chapel. Without skipping a beat my brother seminarian blurted out, ‘YES! This is the best part of the day!’, and he high-fived the guys standing around him. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God! What does your soul yearn for? The psalm today puts poetic words to the love our souls were created for—my soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. My brother radiated how lovely God’s dwelling place is, the altar of sacrifice being each day’s sweetest moment. I oftentimes don’t feel like I’m yearning for the courts of the Lord; I often am content right where I am, doing whatever it is I’m doing. I encounter a taste of God’s dwelling place in the beauty of nature, in the gentle consolation of silence, and in the love of my family and friends…but God has offered us a greater taste of the heavenly reality here on earth. How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God! Breathe deeply the sweetness of the Christian life today. Notice the beauty of nature. Rest in that gentle consolation of silence. Most of all though, ponder the generosity of the Blessed Sacrament. Heaven is the lovely place you were created for; what is heaven but dwelling with God forever. Today, tomorrow, every day as long as the good Lord wills us to be alive we can partake in the reception of Jesus. God dwelling in you. Your heart becoming one with His. Pause for a moment, God wants to share Himself with you. He loves being with you. Dwelling with Him, especially in the intimacy of the Blessed Sacrament, will rise up the desire for more of Him—for eternal life with Him. May the Holy Spirit inspire in us the spiritual sight to see how lovely His dwelling place really is. 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. How often do you spend time in the chapel? How can you increase your time there? What does your soul yearn for? God loves spending time with you. Do you love spending time with Him? 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. "My soul years for the Lord." "How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!" "The Lord is my resting place." 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? Spend quiet time with our Lord today, if you can go sit in a chapel or if you are at home go somewhere without directions. Spend five minutes in quiet prayer. 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 Deacon Robert Blood, seminarian of the Diocese of Rockford.
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. Comments are closed.
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