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). Have you ever borrowed something from someone else and felt a real desire to take extra special care of it? Maybe it was a friend’s iPod, or your parent’s car, or a neighbor’s leaf blower when yours was on the fritz. You likely felt a sort of heightened need to ensure you handled it with care while you had it. You didn’t want to damage it out of respect for the person who loaned it to you. The second reading from St. Paul today is basically describing the same thing about us. Our very bodies are from God, and belong to God. It is wise for us to view ourselves as the stewards of this gift God has given us while we are here on Earth. We should care for our bodies as if they were on loan to us from God. As St. Paul writes, “Your bodies are members of Christ … whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with Him”. He continues by saying “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” These statements are a magnificent reminder to us that we have a responsibility to God to treat our bodies with respect and love, to see them as His and to live our lives as if we are borrowing a prized possession of a dearly loved friend or family member. And why is all of this true? St. Paul points out, “…you have been purchased at a price, therefore glorify God in your body”. We must not lose sight of the fact that our bodies and our souls, eternally linked, have been granted salvation through the debt Jesus gladly paid for us on the cross. We belong to Him forever. 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. Do you treat your body with the respect and dignity it deserves? How can you do this better? How can eating well and taking care of your body help you grow spiritually? How can you glorify God through your body? What are some practical things you can do? 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 Yours, Lord." "Thank you Jesus." "Jesus, I trust in You." 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 care of your body because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Let this great gift for God help you glorify God. Eat better, work out, sleep, stay pure, do all you can to respect this gift that is so intimately connected to your soul. 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 Jim Lundgren, a parishioner at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Crystal Lake, IL. 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.
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