Sin Has No Power

​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.

1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51

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​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).
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​David and Goliath, the classic story. It’s a tale you have no doubt heard recounted countless times in your grade school religious education or in popular culture (just conveniently not often with the part about Goliath’s head getting cut off at the end, but for another time). Suffice it to say, this familiar story has a particular weight about it that I’d like to invite us all to reflect on for today, especially in light of a most special day approaching in our Catholic faith.

On the one hand, the story of David and Goliath is about much more than the underdog winning out, as sports teams often hijack it to be. David’s victory over Goliath is a representation that sin has no power us, that the forces of evil, no matter how dramatic or large, will never prevail against the strength of our Lord Jesus Christ. When David fights, he claims “I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts”. This is the same battle cry we are all called to wage against sin and the forces of evil in our society today. Are you willing to join the same battle? Or are you more content to sit on the sidelines and avoid the confrontation with evil or the things that lead you in to sin?

On a similar note, many of you reading this will begin making your way towards Washington DC today or tomorrow for the March for Life this Friday. What an incredible opportunity for us as Christians to take a public stance against the evil Goliath of abortion in our society today. But again we have to take it a step further: are you willing to fight this battle in your every day life? To stand up to the forces of evil in our society that support the culture of death and to say no more?

David and Goliath is much more than a children’s story – it is a dramatic account of what a heart dedicated to the Lord can do, with whatever small gifts, even against seemingly insurmountable and unbeatable evil.

Today, know that God has glorified you and given you the Name above all Names, Jesus Christ, and the gift of His Holy Spirit, that you may look at all the sin in your life, all the evil, and heroically declare, “I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts.” God be exalted above all in everything, at every place, at every time. AMDG.

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​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.
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Am I willing to join the battle? Or am I more content to sit on the sidelines and avoid the confrontation with evil or the things that lead you in to sin?

What evil do I feel called to fight against today?

Have I dedicated my heart to the Lord? How do I feel the Lord calling me?

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​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.
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“I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts.”

"Sin has no power."

​"God is victorious."

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​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?
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Take up the battle against sin and evil today. Whether you are going to the March for Life or standing up for what is right in little ways, dedicate your heart fully to fight for God.

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​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.

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Today's prayer was prepared by Matthew Maxwell, a graduate of Franciscan University currently working as a Youth Minister in St. Louis. 

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.