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). You can get “used to” Jesus. After the initial spark of conversion, after the spiritual high of a retreat, or after a life-changing confession, Jesus can become kind of normal. For most of us, it just takes time. We get worn down by school, work, or our social life. We don’t have anything against Jesus, but he begins to fade a bit from our hearts. Maybe reading the Bible or going to adoration really fired up our souls and gave us life at first, but now its just kind of “meh.” After a while, we just expect less and less from Jesus. We become less open to what he has for us. “I this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother?” You can almost hear the crowd say, “Don’t we know this punk? How dare he say that he came down from heaven!” It sounds harsh, but we often say the same thing to Jesus in our hearts. We don’t think he has any real healing for us. No new call, no direction. Sure, he fed us in the past, but now? I just don’t see it happening. No, Jesus is just too normal. Too ordinary. We go to Mass and go to confession, but our whole spiritual life has become one weak “meh.” “Stop murmuring among yourselves.” Stop murmuring in your heart! Jesus shakes us awake with his words. He is God. He is the bread of life. Once we stop looking for his gifts, once we stop looking for all the Jesus “stuff” and focus on Jesus himself, that’s when we are broken out of mere ordinary. We stop complaining at Jesus and start speaking with him. We remember that He is the Eucharist. It is Jesus himself that forgives our sins and we remember the spark that first drew us towards Him. Yes, much of the spiritual life is ordinary, but that doesn’t mean it must be boring. 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. In what ways has your spiritual life become "meh" lately? How have you let a relationship with Jesus become just another thing in your life? What was the initial spark which drew you to Jesus? What is God doing right now in your life that is new, different, and not ordinary? 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 are my Lord." "You are enough." "I 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? Today, take some time to share with someone in your life about a moment when you had that spark, that initial conversion or reversion to Jesus and why that was a powerful moment for you. 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 Fr. Sciarappa, priest for the diocese of Pittsburgh.
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