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). I don’t know about you, but I’m often hungry. I’m not just talking about food (although that is real as well), but I’m always hungry for something. If it’s not food, it might be power, or attention, or just to be loved. We have so many hungers and desires in our life, but we turn to the wrong things to try to satisfy us. There are so many good things in this world that can begin to satisfy those desires, but as soon as they stop pointing back to God, they can no longer satisfy us at all. They become distractions. Despite it’s great advertising, not even a snickers bar can satisfy. The only true thing that can satisfy our hungers and desires is the Lord! He says that in today’s Gospel, He is the bread of life, and we must eat the bread of life in order to be truly satisfied. If we do not receive the Lord in the Eucharist and receive them into our hearts through prayer, we are going to starve to spiritual death. Even our earthly desires can only be truly satisfied in him. Continue to do the good things you love (and please make sure you eat real food when you’re hungry), but never forget that your deepest interest desires can only be for filled in your relationship with the Lord. May God bless you all today and satisfy the desires of your heart. 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. What are the deepest desires of your heart? Where do you go to satisfy the deepest desires of your heart? Do you hunger for the Eucharist? How does the Lord satisfy you in ways nothing else can? 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. "You satisfy." "You are the bread of life." "You are my desire." 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? Invite a friend to come to Mass and receive spiritual nourishment in the Eucharist! 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 Sean Norris, Youth Minister at Our Lady of the Wayside Parish in Arlington Heights, 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. Comments are closed.
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