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). Being merciful is no easy task, it requires our commitment to dispense something from within for the benefit of the other. It would have been a lot easier for the Samaritan to have just taken the victim to the hospital and left some money for the doctors to take care of the victim, but the call of the Gospel is more than that. Remember who was telling this story, it was Jesus. It would have been so easy for Jesus to simply will that you and I are saved from our sins. Jesus did not have to be born in poverty, carry the cross, go through the whole passion and suffer an agonizing death; he could have just willed it and you and I are saved. No. Our Jesus has to go through it all for you and for me. Like the Samaritan who was moved with compassion at the sight of the victim of abuse, “He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.'” (Lk. 10:35-35) To show mercy is to be like Jesus. To be merciful is first to show compassion on the other, and then I commit myself not to abandon the other but rather to attend to his/her wound, then take him/her to a place of healing. Then, make sure that we visit this person to make sure that the person is properly taken care of. This person could be a family member. The wound might be an abuse from someone else or some form of addiction or anxiety. Let’s be Jesus for this person, walk them through their difficulty, and show our commitment. Yes, it is difficult, because it requires our commitment. That’s why, in the beginning of this Gospel, Jesus asked us to love God first, because in loving God first, we can be filled by His mercy. Then we can truly be merciful. 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. Who is it in your life right now that you are being asked to show mercy to? In what specific ways is God calling you to be merciful to them? How have you personally experienced the loving mercy and compassion of God in your own life? In your own relationship with God, how can you grow deeper in love with him now that you would be more able to show his love to those you meet? 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. “Teach me to love.” “You are merciful.” “Show me Your mercy.” 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? Throughout your day today, look for a chance to show mercy to another person and take that chance, even if it is difficult or out of your comfort zone. Be merciful to those you encounter, and let God's love flow through you to those you encounter. 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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