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). "Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD." The invitation to sing and rejoice seems like a very rare invitation now a days. It is an invitation to put on that light mood and put down our guards and live the truth that you and I are loved by God Himself. For those who aspire to live the life of virtue, there is nothing to fear about anything at all. This invitation to sing and rejoice is different from many of those parties that advocate promiscuities and debauchery. This invitation is a sober invitation to see the coming of the One who is the fulfillment of everything in your life. Every approved apparition of Mary is an invitation to sing and rejoice. Even those apparitions with an invitation to repent are an occasion to invite us to be joyful because they signify the love of God who is so near and close to us as to send us His own Mother. The words of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego brings us even closer to this reality when she said, "Do not be sad, am I not your Mother?" Mary says these words to every one of us today. Sing and rejoice because Christ has given us His mother to be our mother too. Sing and rejoice because in few more days, Mary will give us her Son to be our Savior, Christ the Lord. But for our joy to be authentic, it has to be a joy that comes as fruit of a loving relationship with God and others. A joy that comes from a sinful behavior is a fleeting joy and is bound to bring us more misery. Rejoice only in the Lord presence in your life, in your heart as His dwelling place. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. 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. What reason do I have to sing and rejoice today? How have I been responding to the Lord's invitation this Advent season? Is my joy authentic and real? Where does my joy truly come from? Is there something or someone I need to cut out of my life in order to come to a real joy in the presence of the Lord? 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. "Sing and rejoice!" "God is with us." "Christ dwells among us." 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? Christ's coming is near, and today we are given the invitation to sing and rejoice. Take some time today to pause today and to experience true joy in the Lord's presence, and allow that joy to wash over you. Then go and share the joy of this Advent season with 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 Fr. Ervin Caliente, priest of the Diocese of Rockford.
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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