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). I am a stubborn, prideful person. (Sometimes it's good to just get things out in the open.) Because of my stubbornness and incessant need to be right, it is hard for me to ask for help or, often, to accept that another person can do something better than me. I have often been seen carrying way too many things, about to drop and break something, in my mind thinking that I should probably have someone help me. Then, a person will come up to me, smiling, and ask if I need help. Immediately, without a second of pause, I'll say, "No, I think I'm good." Then, as I struggle along (and often break something), I'm reminded of my incredible need for humility. This lack of humility in my life is one of the main reasons it is so incredible to hear the words of Paul in this letter to Timothy. First, Paul does something that Pope Francis has often been heard doing: he asks for prayers. Paul, the one in authority, reminds the people that those in authority NEED to be prayed for. And so he asks. Then, Paul tells us that there is one God and that there is one mediator, Jesus. Paul admits to the people that his entire role was to make sure they understood this - Jesus is the way to the Father. This is Paul's role because this is the most important thing the people could possibly have heard - there is a way back to the Father, and it is through His Son. In Greek, there is this word we hear sometimes today: Kerygma. "Kerygma" is a word meaning teaching or preaching, and it is used to remind us each of the initial proclamation of the Gospel, the basic teaching upon which all that we do rests. Paul here, as he so often does in his letters, is reminding us of the basic Gospel message: Jesus came to bring us back to relationship with the Father. Without Jesus, there is a chasm between us and God that cannot be crossed; with Him, there is never a chance that we are left in isolation from the Father as long as we're willing to turn back to Him, in our brokenness, and admit that we need help, that we need a mediator, and that Jesus is that mediator. And so it is Paul's wish that we should pray, lifting up holy hands. He doesn't wish this because it's a nice thing to do or because it makes us feel good; he wishes it because the role of the leader in the Church, the evangelist, the one like Paul, is to lead people to the Father through the One Mediator, Jesus, and the way that we come to know Jesus and through Him the Father is prayer. We must pray each day. Unceasingly. And in our prayer, we turn our hearts towards Jesus, through the grace of the Sprit, and through Him we're led to the Father. 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. When have you been prideful? In what areas of your life do you need to admit that you need help? How has Jesus helped you in the midst of your pride and brokenness and sin? How are you pointing others back to God, like St. Paul? 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. "Lord, show me where I have been prideful." "Lord, grant me humility." "I lift my hands to you, Lord." 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? In humility, ask someone to pray for you, and share with them what you need prayers for. 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 Jason Theobald, Director of Youth Ministry at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Huntley, IL.
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