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). There are these moments in Scripture when Jesus speaks and it’s as if his words cut straight to my heart. If I’m being honest, sometimes it’s super annoying. It becomes fairly impossible to claim ignorance with the Lord (as I often try, and fail, to do) when he looks directly into my soul and calls me out. This happened today as I was praying with our Gospel reading. Here we see the Lord empower and send out some of his most devoted disciples. He offers them authority, he equips them with his truth, and they come back elated at the works they have been able to perform in Christ’s name. And guys, I’ve been there. As a youth minister the Lord has offered me the great privilege of participating in his work of gaining souls for the Kingdom in a tangible and exciting way. I’ve watched as young people have encountered Christ, given their lives to him, and I’ve returned rejoicing because of the miracles that are accomplished in the name of Jesus. And this work of introducing people to Jesus, it’s good. It’s so good, in fact, that sometimes I find myself tempted to place my worth in it- to believe that my value is rooted in what I’m able to do for Jesus instead of in who I am in him. And so today, as our Lord addressed his disciples, I felt as though he was also addressing me: “Do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Do not rejoice, in other words, in what you were able to do, but because of who you are, because of who I have made you, and because of the inheritance you have been given through that identity. You see my worth, your worth, our worth, it is not dependent on what we are able to do (even if what we’re doing is in the name of Jesus). Our worth is dependent on who we are, on who the Lord has made us to be: his sons and his daughters, heirs to his Kingdom, forever. As my main man, Pope Saint John Paul II once said, “we are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures, we are the sum of the father’s love for us” and that love for us, is never-ending. 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 has God equipped me to go perform works in his name? Where do I find my worth? Is it in God or in things I have or can accomplish? In what ways do I experience the inheritance Christ offers me here on earth? 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 am your child." "You make me worthy." "Help me trust in 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? The next time you are able to accomplish something good, big or small, take time to thank the Lord for equipping you to accomplish that work. Be sure to turn the focus off of yourself and what makes you worthy of doing good works and turn it back to God- all for the greater glory of God! 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 Lauren Wright, a Youth Minister in Rockford, 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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June 2021
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