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). Though in a different way than John the Baptist, I think that we are each called to prepare the way of the Lord! Like John the Baptist, we are just the “voice of one”...but still we are one person! One person can make a big difference. I can think back to numerous times in my life that it was just one person that said something or did something that made me take a step back and think or act differently than I otherwise would have. I am grateful for each one of those moments and each one of those people. How often do you think people are afraid to say or do something that might be different from the status quo? John baptizing the people with water and saying everything he did to prepare for Jesus’ coming definitely went against the status quo. John the Baptist was one person who changed many lives. God has a plan for you, for me, for John the Baptist, for everyone. Each plan (life) looks different, and that’s awesome! Our lives touch other lives, our paths cross with other people’s paths, and in each one of those people we encounter is a heart that needs to prepare for the Lord. Notice that this reading is “the testimony of John”- it’s neither yours nor mine - it’s John’s. A testimony is a witness or evidence for something. Along with the one voice we each have is one life too, doesn’t that work out perfectly? Don’t be afraid to go against the status quo to offer your testimony to the people you comes across in life. Keep in mind that there is no one right way to do that either (if there was, that wouldn’t really be going against the status quo…?) Of course, to best prepare the way of the Lord for another’s life, we must be striving for that within ourselves. Good thing we’re just coming out of the season of Advent, that special time for preparation in our hearts for the Lord! Don’t let that preparation end with Christmas though. Look for ways to continuously prepare yourself for God to enter into your heart. For example, every time I prepare myself to receive Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass I pray for the intercession of Mary, since she is our perfect example of being a human tabernacle. I also pray for the Holy Spirit to come into my mind, flow into my heart and sink into my soul. I’m going to take this challenge seriously too and find new ways even in my day-to-day routines to prepare the way of the Lord! 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 can you continue to prepare for the Lord in your own heart? How can you share your faith with others? As one person how can you make a difference? How are you called to make a difference? How as one person made a difference in your life? 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 one person." "Prepare the way of the Lord." "Prepare my heart." 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? What can you do today to prepare the way for the Lord in your own heart and for the life of someone else? 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 Katie LoBosco, a student at the University of Dayton studying Music Therapy.
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