The Call to Witness

4/5/2018

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.

Luke 24:35-48

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).

Jesus continues to work His wonders for the disciples, even after the Resurrection. He didn’t kick back and relax after defeating sin and death, which we all know was a more than tiring thing to do. Instead, He never stopped loving and serving.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus appears to His disciples. They freak out a little bit when Jesus appeared to them out of nowhere (perks of having a glorified body), as I am sure we all would. Only a few people had seen Jesus since He was crucified. They knew He had died but maybe doubted that He had truly risen. So Jesus, in His typical loving Messiah way, went to the disciples to show them how alive He truly is. Imagine what it would be like to see Jesus, who had been tortured and mangled, alive and eating. I would also be “incredulous for joy" and "amazed.”

Jesus gives the disciples His peace and calls them to action. He wanted them, and all of us, to know that He is who He said He was. He is the Christ who “would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” He gives the disciples a sense of certainty to ease any doubt or fears they must have had when they saw Christ seemingly defeated on the Cross.

Jesus leaves us with the statement, “you are witnesses of these things.” This is true for the disciples, but also for us two thousand years later. We too have come to believe in the Resurrection of Jesus, that He is who He says He is, because of the first disciples' witnesses. We don’t get to see His wounds or sit down and eat fish with Him, but we have seen the Truth. God is greater than anything, He even destroys sin and death. He loves us so much that He would die and come back just so make sure we really understood the fullness of what happened. We might not understand everything Jesus said and did, but we are called to witness to Him. We are called by God to share the love He gives to us, to bring others to the light of the truth. This is no easy task, but “peace be with you!” We have the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us grow deeper in our relationship with God and to inspire and strengthen us to share the Good News of Christ with the world.

Take some time to be “incredulous for joy” over the Resurrection. Really take in the fullness of the victory of Easter. Then, with the Holy Spirit in your heart, go out and be Christ’s "witness to all of these things."

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.

Who was the first person who witnessed Christ to you? What can you do to be a witness too?

How often do you proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ? What are some of the challenges you face when it comes to sharing Christ?

Do you find it difficult to rest in Christ's peace? How can you find the peace of Christ even in difficult situations?

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.

"Thank You."

"I love You."

"I will follow 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?

Be a witness to the Resurrection today! Be a witness to love, sacrifice, patience, peace, and joy in your interactions with others. This is a lot to ask of you and it may be difficult, but ask for the help of the Holy Spirit and see the goodness you can bring into the world through your words and actions.

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.

Today's prayer was prepared by Mary Griffin, a Senior Theology and Catechetics major at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

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.

CARPE VERBUM