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). As of late there has been a hilarious trend of meme going around the internet. You may have seen one of these, “I was today years old” memes going around. The whole premise is that we can still be surprised in life by learning things that are so seemingly obvious, we feel like we should have known them long ago. Today’s Gospel reading reminds me of one of these moments of realization. Jesus tells his disciples that the only way to know the Father is by having him revealed by the Son. It’s only through Jesus’ revelation of God as Father that we can more fully understand the nature of God as our Father- which means that knowing the Father wasn’t always the same before Jesus came to live among us. You see, before Jesus was Incarnate and began to teach here on earth, God as Father hadn’t been revealed to us in such a full way. This is what Jesus means when he says, “many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it.” It’s with these words that I am reminded of the “today years old” memes. I feel that after Jesus ascended into heaven and brought the righteous souls who had been awaiting his redemption to heaven with him, those same kings and prophets finally understood what their entire life’s work as about. They were “today years old” at that moment when they fully understood the Father because the Son revealed him to them. How often are we caught in moments like this? How many times do we forget to look to God as a loving, compassionate Father, but instead look to him as a harsh and severe judge just waiting for us to mess up? How many times are we reminded in our lives of the Father’s great goodness through encounters with his Son? If we want to truly see God, we must become childlike- that is to live as children of the Father. It is only through this relationship that we will be able to see as we ought to and grow in our relationship with God. 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 do I see God as my Father? In what ways do I need to trust more in God as my Father and myself as his child? How is Jesus revealing God as my Father to me? 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 a child of God." "Help me trust in you, Father." "Thank you for loving me." 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? Take time in prayer today to speak to God as your Father. Let your heart feel more childlike by having a simple conversation with God like you would with your earthly 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 Adam Smyth, the Life Teen Coordinator at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in the Woodlands, TX.
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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