Carpe Verbum
  • About
  • Join
  • Contact
Picture

CARPE VERBUM


Saturday of the First Week of Advent

12/5/2020

 

​Step #1: Lectio / Read

Click 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.
Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

​Step #2: Meditatio / Meditate

Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).
​

The setting was a cold winter night in sleepy St. Charles, Missouri and the subject of this story, 8-year-old me, was hungry and in desperate need of sustenance to survive. Sure, I grew up in a quiet and median-income family where there was always food on the table and assuredly would be tonight, but when we stopped at the gas station just before getting home to fill up, everything in me screamed that my insatiable hunger had to be met. Without asking my dad and without thinking (most importantly without paying), I grabbed a packet of crispy M&Ms and walked out the door back to the car…where I was instead met by a QT employee and police officer who saw the whole thing transpire. Mom and dad were not happy and neither was my hunger that sadly had to watch the M&Ms be taken from me. As silly as this is, I reflect on this story while reflecting on today’s psalm.

Brothers and sisters: blessed are all who wait for the Lord. Like the packet of M&Ms, too often we meander through life looking to grab its low-hanging fruit to quench our desire and hunger. We desperately strive for things like success in school, sports, or work, popularity among our friends, whatever new material good to seemingly fill our lives, but in the end these things are fleeting. The deep satisfaction that lasts forever is our eternity in Heaven. Waiting on the Lord requires that we acknowledge this and direct our lives accordingly.

This is the constant drama of Scripture, a reality we replay every year during Advent. The psalm recalls that “The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; the dispersed of Israel he gathers.” If you recall the story of the Israelites in the Old Testament, they watched the destruction of their city of Jerusalem and temple within numerous times. They were dispersed multiple times, forced to uproot their homes and wander about in search of new abodes. The book of Daniel suggests that they waited close to 500 years in expectation for a Savior to come and rebuild Jerusalem and unite them once and for all. 500 years! But they waited, they kept the faith, they passed it down to their children, their grandchildren, their great-grandchildren, and beyond. They waited and the Lord, as He tends to do, finally came and surpassed even their greatest expectations, God Himself coming into the midst of humanity, bearing our sin, and gloriously redeeming us from it.

The way of Christianity could be summed up in one line from this psalm: “The Lord sustains the lowly.” Wait for the Lord. No earthly success or gain can compare to what the Lord has for us in eternity. The Kingdom of God is at hand and eternal life is before us. Come, then, and let us wait for the Lord and find our hunger satisfied completely by Him.

​Step #3: Oratio / Pray

These 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.
​

Do you wait for the Lord and trust that He will completely fulfill all your desires, or do you settle for less and fill your life with material goods? 

​What do you need His help with today? How can you grow to depend completely on Him?

How often do you think of eternal life with God? How can you grow in hope as you wait for Him?

​​Step #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate

In 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.
​

"Come, Lord."

"I will wait for You."

"I need You."

​Step #5: Actio / Act

In 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?

Focus on God today. Pay attention to the little things you give into, instead of being steadfast and patient. When temptation to give in arises, pray to the Lord and ask for His help. During your time of prayer, ask for the Lord to give your strength and perseverance to wait for Him, specially during this advent season.

​Smartphone Lock Screen

The 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.
Picture

Today's prayer was prepared by Matthew Maxwell.

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016


    RSS Feed

Picture
  • About
  • Join
  • Contact