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). As I sit here, in my room, at my makeshift desk, on day two of our seventeen day state-mandated “Shelter in Home” order, I have to admit, I feel a bit empty. I feel the strain of being in the same place all the time, of seeing exclusively the people I live with. I feel the anxiety of the unknown that appears to extend endlessly in front of me. There’s a general cloudiness that seems to have descended upon society and, if I’m being honest, I feel it. And yet. There’s also hope. I feel it like a consistent, slow drumming that rings out from a distance, inching closer and closer. A hope of something new that’s coming, because even in the fog our God is the God who is “making all things new.” The reality is that in the midst of the confusion and loneliness, there is still grace. Grace to remember what truly matters. Grace to be more intentional in catching up with my friends and family. And grace to take more time to pray, to reflect on God’s Word; and to reflect, today, on Mary’s word. Her fiat - her “yes” to God. So as I sit here at my pull-out table, in my already claustrophobic bedroom, in the middle of a state-wide quarantine, I can hear the power that laces the fiat of Our Mother; the strength that reverberates throughout time as Mary looked into the face of the unknown and chose to hope. One instant, one moment of hope, is all it took. One single fiat and our Salvation entered the world. My dear friends, what if this is our instant? What is this is our moment? In the midst of the chaos, darkness, and isolation, what if God is calling for us to respond with the same act of hope, the same fiat, the same “yes” as Our Lady? What if we, too, can look at the unknown and choose to see only God’s goodness? What if our choice of hope could also participate in making Jesus present on Earth? What we are experiencing now seems unprecedented, but our Savior is no stranger to darkness. He is the Light that shines forth into the darkness and that was all made possible because a teenage girl, over 2,000 years ago, chose to hope. My prayer, this radical Lenten season, is that we would allow Mary’s fiat of hope to guide our way forward and that we would see our circumstances exclusively through the lense of God’s goodness. Because God’s goodness is insurmountable and hope does not disappoint. 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 will I say yes to God today? Where do I see God's goodness in my present circumstances? How can I share hope and God's goodness with the world right now? 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. "Yes, Lord." "My hope is in the Lord." "God's goodness follows me." 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? In this difficult time, we will use our Action step each day to join with people around the world in praying for an end to the pandemic of the Coronavirus, for the healing of all those affected, and for the comfort of all those who have lost a loved one. The prayer below is from Archbishop José H. Gomez, President of the USCCB in his reflection and prayer during coronavirus: Holy Virgin of Guadalupe, Queen of the Angels and Mother of the Americas. We fly to you today as your beloved children. We ask you to intercede for us with your Son, as you did at the wedding in Cana. Pray for us, loving Mother, and gain for our nation and world, and for all our families and loved ones, the protection of your holy angels, that we may be spared the worst of this illness. For those already afflicted, we ask you to obtain the grace of healing and deliverance. Hear the cries of those who are vulnerable and fearful, wipe away their tears and help them to trust. In this time of trial and testing, teach all of us in the Church to love one another and to be patient and kind. Help us to bring the peace of Jesus to our land and to our hearts. We come to you with confidence, knowing that you truly are our compassionate mother, health of the sick and cause of our joy. Shelter us under the mantle of your protection, keep us in the embrace of your arms, help us always to know the love of your Son, Jesus. Amen. 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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