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). Think about walking through a field with your priest, wouldn’t you be on the guard to not do anything wrong or awkward? The apostles were walking through a field with the God of the universe, just strolling along with the Savior of the world. The apostles knew the law, that they shouldn’t labor on the Sabbath. You’d think that in front of the Rabbi of Rabbis they would just ignore the rumbiles in their tumblies and not pick the wheat. They grab the heads of the wheat though, and Jesus doesn’t flinch. The Pharisees are the original whistle blowers. “Hey Jesus, your buddies don’t care about the law…You teach them this stuff?” Jesus doesn’t throw His apostles under the bus. He instead reminds the Pharisees that there are exceptions in the law. The Lord goes beyond the loopholes; He tells the false teachers that there is something more important than the temple present and that something is really a someone, it’s Jesus Himself. The human heart is a complex thing; your heart is complex. What fills you with love? What stings your heart? What brings your heart rest? What do you desire? Are you willing to share all of these answers with Jesus? It’s hard to share our whole heart with the Lord. Life is busy and it’s tough to find time to sit and reflect when there’s a million other things to do. Even if I have the time, I don’t want to bring all my mess to prayer, I want to get away from it all for a time. Other times, especially when it comes to confession, we might be embarrassed that we are still fighting the same battles we have been for months or years. We could be like the Pharisees, crossing our t’s and dotting our i’s but Jesus doesn’t ask for bland sacrifices. It meant more to the Lord that the apostles felt comfortable sharing their hunger with Jesus by picking the wheat, then it did to have the Pharisees get worked up about the law. Jesus didn’t rebuke the apostles for sharing their weakness, but instead He loved them there. Jesus is with us and for us. Today is a perfect day to loosen up with the Lord. Go to Him, just as you are, and don’t be afraid to lead with the foot of inadequacy. When we ask Jesus into our raw and broken lives we encounter true rest knowing that we are who God created us to be and that is just enough. 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. Do you go to Jesus with all of your struggles? What struggles do you keep to yourself? How can you let Jesus into them? What fills you with love? What stings your heart? What brings your heart rest? What do you desire? Are you willing to share all of these answers with Jesus? Christ knows your heart. He knows your wounds. How can you be real 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. "Jesus is with me." "Go to Him." "I want to let Jesus in." 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 some time with Jesus today. If you can go to daily Mass or adoration. Sit with Jesus and be real with Him about what struggles you're facing. 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 Robert Blood, seminarian of the Diocese of Rockford.
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