OLDER LECTIO DIVINA

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
I often do the same thing! I ask questions to try to confuse the simplicity of Jesus’ teachings, questions that are not hard to answer. My reason gets the best of me as I think it is more valuable than simple charity. Who is my neighbor? Anyone God puts into my life who needs help. My life is a story, and I am the main character. God gives me many opportunities to do the right thing, to share the grace he gave me with others. These opportunities often come in the form of neighbors crossing my path. It may be the person next door. It may be the friend or relative going through a bad break-up. It may be the fellow parishioner who has huge medical bills from a bad accident.

Dear Lord,
Help me to be the Good Samaritan for everyone I meet. Help me to put their needs before my own and treat them as I would like to be treated. Because you are so good to me, I find the strength to be good to others. Teach me to pass on the love you give. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

The simplicity of discipleship in Christ is important to remember, because it’s tempting to get bogged down by the worries of “doing it right” by today’s standards. Some people who want to follow Christ more fully may think they need to enter religious life, or join an order, or get a degree in theology, or at least some kind of certificate saying they’re legit. While all of these things could be good, we’re all called to follow Christ in unique ways. So go as you are and proclaim the kingdom of God, no prerequisites required. 

Lord Jesus,

I know I am unworthy of your gifts and your calling to spread your kingdom. It is by sheer grace that I have been given the mission to evangelize. That is my calling as a baptized Christian though. Give me the wisdom and courage needed to bring more souls into your kingdom. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

“Lord, let me go first and bury my father….  “first let me say farewell to my family at home.”

The key word in both of these excuses is “first”. The First Commandment is to put nothing before God, not even family. It’s hard to put God before even family. Sometimes I even feel justified putting my family before my commitments to God. But a true disciple of Christ knows we cannot rightly serve anyone unless we serve God first. If I put anything before God, my motivations will be disordered, my love misplaced. God is the source of love, so it makes the most sense to go to him first in order to receive the proper stores of love to serve others.  

PRAY

Lord Jesus,

Help me to be your true disciple, putting you before everything–even loved ones. The way to follow you will be countercultural. It will be weird to other people. It doesn’t matter, because you alone have the words of eternal life, so I will do what it takes to stay close to you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. 

In this passage, Jesus fulfills the promise God made through the prophet Isaiah when he said, “I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). Even when our situation seems most bleak, if we have faith in God he will provide whatever it is we need to get through.

Dear Jesus,
In the Holy Eucharist, you provide sustenance for our exiled journey back to you. Here on earth, we only get pieces and glimpses of your glory. We only have five loaves and two fish, and it’s not enough to sustain us. What little faith we have, we give to you so you can multiply it. Show us how heaven is all around us and how you will provide us with everything we need, so we can live a life devoted to you and spread your kingdom in this world. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Scripture is the Word of God, and the Word is Christ. The truth in Scripture are passed down to us through Tradition, and Tradition is guided by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes from the Word and declares it to each new generation of Christians. The Source is always the same. The truth doesn’t change even as the language used to convey it changes. The Holy Spirit transcends human language, but the human spirit that is following Christ will recognize its voice in every age no matter what form it takes. The Spirit will choose voices in every generation to pass on its truth. It is our mission as Christians to offer our lives in service to this truth. Many people stray far from the inheritance given to us through Christ and the Spirit, and think they can form their own version of the truth. It doesn’t work. We can draw from the abundant well of life given to Jesus, but if we try to do things our own way we will reach a dead end. We know we are in Christ when the deeper we draw from his well the more truth and life we find.

Holy Trinity,

You are the God of love, truth and everything I seek. Thank you for your providence. Forgive me for the times I have failed to have faith in you. I ask for the grace to see you in everything I do, everywhere I go. You are the cornerstone that provides a strong foundation, and the mystery that keeps us intrigued and searching to keep life interesting. Help me to see you and never get bored of searching for you. You are so much more than I can ever imagine. Show me how to dive deeper into that belief. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Listen and God will reveal different parts of Bible stories you never thought of, even if you have read the passage dozens of times. There are clues hiding in words we tend to skip over. The mystery will go on for our entire lives, if not all of eternity, if we continue to seek the Truth. He will never lead us to a dead end, and he will always have something more to teach us. Praise the Lord with the Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, and all the choirs of angels. By reading Scripture attentively, we discover the reasons why these celestial beings, who are pure intellect, can go on praising him for ever. It’s because not even the angels can reach the bottom of God’s endless well of truth, goodness, and beauty.

My Lord and my God,

I believe we all have a doubting Thomas in us. That is why you appeared to all of the disciples, you’re very chosen ones, and gave them all the proof they needed to believe. Like a good parent, you gave them the provisions necessary to go out into the world and preach the Gospel. I pray that you give all of your disciples on earth those same provisions. I pray for faith not just for myself but for all who believe, whether they’re struggling to or not. We’re all going to need more faith at some point in our lives, if not now. Please, protect us from ourselves. Give us genuine reasons to believe in you so we don’t fall back on our own self-righteous attempts to remain steadfast. Only you have the power to sustain our faith. Only you can give that holy gift. I will settle for nothing less than authentic faith from you, the source. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Everything happening around us can be proof of God’s existence if we listen closely enough. God’s oneness surrounds us. He is everything, and yet nothing can contain him. He is more than the universe because he created it and is outside it, but he is also closer to us than our own hearts. God is one in the most perfect sense of the term. He lacks nothing. He is completely self-sufficient and non-contingent. When we unite ourselves with him, we are in need of nothing. So let all your worries go and come rest in him.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for existence. Thank you for always being here. Help me to always recognize your presence so I don’t grasp for the illusions in this world. Just as Jesus prays, I want to be one with you. I want all of humanity to be one with you in heaven. I want to be united to that never-ending font of love and share that love with everyone. Help me to be one who believes. In Jesus’ name. –Amen.

The teachings of Christ are glorious. They are unlike anything the world has ever been given. Christ’s teachings are not just words, they are encapsulations of the truth, goodness, and beauty found throughout all of creation. When we unpack them, the connections we see between them and life in general are endless. This is why it behooves us to listen closely whenever Christ speaks. There will always be something profound in his words that we can learn.

I do love you, Jesus. I detest my sins because they offend you, not just because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell. Forgive me of my sins, and teach me how to use the gift of the Holy Spirit that you gave me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I give you a new commandment, "love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another."

The connection between unity and love here is clear. Jesus just got done teaching the disciples how he glorifies the Father and the Father glorifies him. The loving relationship between himself and the Father was apparent while Jesus sojourned on earth with them. Now that he is leaving, though, things will be different. His followers will no longer have that apparent example given to them by Jesus’ deeds and testimony. They will have to convey that love between themselves to keep the Gospel alive. This is how the world will know they are Jesus’ followers, because no one else championed love more than Jesus. No one else chose love over everything else like he did. Only through the strength Christ gives us, can we choose love in the same fashion. Praise be to God.

Dear Lord, I praise you for your unconditional love, and for how you convey it through Christ your son, and through your saints. Help me to be more like them, to show your love to the world, no matter how hard it may be. I only ask that you give me a glimpse of the glory that awaits those who live as your good and faithful servants. This small token of your grace will be the hope that sustains me. May my hope for heaven give me the strength to love here on earth. But also, help me to love unconditionally, seeking nothing in return, just as Jesus did. In His name I pray, Amen.