OLDER LECTIO DIVINA

Listen for the voices crying out in the desert, those who are shunned by society or who left on their own. Some of them are actually crazy, sure, but quite often God speaks most lucidly through them since they are not as connected to worldly affairs as we are, and therefore can see God’s will more clearly as John the Baptist did. 

Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.

The listening or contemplation part of lectio divina is like the commissioning part of Mass. At the end of Mass, the priest or deacon says, in some form or another, ‘Go forth and proclaim the gospel’. At the end of lectio divina, we are advised to go forth and listen for God. We ought to spend time listening to him after we meditate, but we also ought to continue listening for him throughout the day. Think of his will like the Star of Bethlehem. The magi most likely struggled, first to decipher what kind of sign it was. This is akin to us contemplating the Scripture after we read. They probably also struggled to follow the star once they started their journey. This is akin to our going forth after we read Scripture, starting the journey of our day, seeking God’s will. Every story of Scripture can be seen in this way. If we listen close enough, we will see how each story–especially in the Gospels–provides a valuable lesson for how we ought to seek God’s will in our own lives. 

Lord,

Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.

The shepherds were just minding their flocks when the angel came. Sometimes heaven intervenes in our lives when we are just going about our daily routine. These are the moments when we need to be attentive, then. As good as it is to set aside time to pray and listen to God, it is even wiser to keep our eyes and ears open for him throughout the day, every day. The shepherds had no idea that they would encounter an angel that day. May we receive similar blessings when we simply remain faithful while living our own daily lives.

Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.

In the beginning was the Word. That Word speaks all around us, from the stars to the Scripture and everywhere in between. Can we listen close enough to hear him on that silent night? Jesus didn’t come with a bang or a crash. With all the chaos that was happening around him, he came quietly. Are we paying close enough attention to hear and appreciate the significance of this holy event, the arrival of the Word Incarnate, the Son of God? 

Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.

If we are quiet enough and if we quiet our hearts, we can picture Joseph receiving the dream that made him take Mary into his home. So many thoughts were probably swirling around in his head before the angel came to him. The angel brought the truth, and with it he also brought peace. We can learn a great deal from this. God and our own guardian angel can speak to us as well, if we simply quiet our own thoughts and pray instead. Let’s listen to God and his angels as Joseph did. Let’s never forget the listening part of prayer.

Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.

Listening to John the Baptist led his followers to Jesus. Let us seek out the things and people in this world that do the same, but also remember that they are a means to reaching him, not an end in themselves. Let’s seek out beautiful music, stories, artwork, and books, and listen for the voice of John the Baptist in them, the voice of one crying out in the desert that our Savior has come. It’s not as strange as it may seem. If we listen close enough to true, good, and beautiful things, we can hear Christ whispering “I love you and I’ll never leave you alone.” 

Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.

"Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."  One of my favorite church hymns is the one that just repeats this line of the Good Thief. He may have been a criminal, but his petition is common. When we come to Jesus, this should be all we want; for him to remember his love for us despite all we have done and to welcome us. Repentance is vital, though. If the thief had not repented the moment before, Jesus’ answer would have been very different. “Remember me”, then, is the Good Thief’s petition for Jesus to remember the good he has done, to remember the parts of him that are still innocent and pure.

Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.

The teachings of Christ are real stingers. He does not shy away from talking about the very thing that most of us fear the most. But he only talks about death to lead us to true life–which exists beyond death. How can we listen for the truth of this teaching when we read the rest of the Bible, when we experience life, and when we interact with others? We can look for a sign of hope in every dire situation. The Bible, with all of its stories of turmoil, trial, loss, and defeat, always gives us the hope of something better and life-giving beyond what the characters endure. We can take that truth into our own lives and notice that, no matter how dark things get, it is not the end. There is always something better waiting just beyond the hardest parts. That is the hope Christ gives us by saying he is the God of the living, not the dead, and by leading us to the eternal life that comes after death.  

Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Kilby is a freelance writing from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.

If we want to seek and find Jesus we have to listen for him. Where is he in today’s world? He is in the tabernacle, in his word (the Bible), in his creation, and he lives in baptized Chrstians as the Holy Spirit. Will we be like Zacchaeus when he comes our way, and climb a sycamore tree (metaphorically speaking) just to catch a better glimpse as he passes by? Will we receive him with joy when we get the chance? In all of these ways, we can strengthen our relationship with him, if we are just willing to invite him into our hearts–and our house. Have we blessed our homes? Do we set aside time daily to pray, to invite him in like Zacchaeus invited him? Is he a part of our lives? I can’t expect to find him or hear him if I am not embracing the opportunities to do so that he presents.

Lord,
Thank you for the salvation you offer if I just give my life to you. Please help me to have the faith needed to devote myself anew to you everyday. Seeking you is hard in today’s world, but with your guidance you will show me that you are right beside me the whole way. Bless my quest after you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.