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). “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” Has holiness ever frustrated you? Not your own holiness, but the holiness of your neighbor? I surprised myself once by how frustrated I was that a friend of mine was so much more holy than I was! Let’s call my friend Paul. Paul and I met on a mission trip together during the college summer break, and he impressed me right away. He was smart, confident, and really passionate about his prayer life and about bringing other people to Jesus. I had been involved in my youth group for three or four years before college, so I felt like a seasoned veteran and an expert on all things related to the faith (I wasn’t the most humble university student). Well, Paul blew me out of the water so I asked him about his story. Turns out he had only converted a few months ago! Paul was pretty much a brand-new Christian. I felt embarrassed, frustrated, and honestly a little bit betrayed. I had been devoting myself to God for all these years, but Paul—who only started a relationship with Jesus a few months ago—already seemed to be leap-frogging me in the spiritual life! It just didn’t seem fair! It took me years to appreciate that God gave Paul faith as a gift, and the gift God gave to me that day was a healthy dose of humility! The Gospel today reminds of just how important humility is. Jesus says God has “hidden these things from the wise and the learned” and “revealed them to the childlike.” The root of most sin is the impulse to take things into my own hands, or to be in control, or provide for myself. The solution to sin seems to be just the opposite: give up control, allow God to provide for us through unearned grace, and entrust everything into his hands; hands which are outstretched upon the cross. Many of our greatest saints were children, or uneducated simple people. I’m sure in your own community or parish some of the holiest people you know are not the smartest ones, but are the simple humble servants who love God in every person they meet. Why does God choose to reveal things to the humble? Well, because there is no progress in the spiritual life without humility. All that we have is a gift from God. We don’t earn salvation, but receive it as a gift from God. I can’t receive the gift of eternal life with closed, clenched fists; instead, I need to be like a little child, who runs to his parents with wide open arms, trusting that I will be provided for. When we run to God like that, he can’t resist revealing himself to us. So let’s be childlike today, and know that we have a Father who loves us and wants to reveal himself to us, if only we will let him. 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 is someone I know that demonstrates the virtue of humility? Where do I need to be more humble? How has humility helped me to encounter God? 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. "Praise you, Lord." "Open my heart, Lord." "Help me be more humble." 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? Pray the Litany of Humility today, and ask God to humble your heart so that you can be more open to receiving Him. 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 Chris O'Hara, an evangelist in Canada.
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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