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). “If God is who He says He is, then we are who He says we are.” -Fr. Mike Schmitz I heard Fr. Mike Schmitz say these words almost six weeks ago now, and they struck me to the core of my being. In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks his very disciples who other people say he is. Then, he asks them who they say he is. He is the Christ. He is our Savior and Redeemer. He is truly the One who became man and died for our sins. When I look at the cross and read through Scripture, I find it almost easy to believe that God is who He says He is, but how hard it is for me to believe that I am who the Lord says I am. I often get so bogged down by the stress of this world and trying to make a name for myself that I begin to lose myself and forget who I truly am. We so easily forget to whom we belong. We do not belong to this world. Our identity does not come from any other person or our Instagram profile or our Snapchat story. Our identity comes from God Himself. The Lord did not belong to this world and neither do we. He belonged to the Father, and we belong to Him. In my 23 years of life, I have come to realize that it is in continually pursuing a relationship with the Lord that we even begin to understand who He truly is and the wondrous love He has for us. And in that love, He begins to reveal to us who we truly are -- beloved sons and daughters of the Father. 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. Who do you say that God is? Who does God say that you are? Do you believe that if God is who He says He is, then you are who He says you are? 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 the Christ." "I am a child of God." "I belong to the Lord." 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 Lord bear fruit in you today? Spend some time today reflecting on your own identity and what it means to be a beloved son or daughter of God the Father. 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 Maggie Overbeck, Assistant Director of Youth Ministry at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Huntley, IL.
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