SUNDAY GOSPEL LECTIO DIVINA

Many people did not want to listen to Jesus’ teaching on the Bread of Life. It was too strange and unbelievable for them. But I love what Peter says. When asked by Jesus, “Will you leave me too?”, he says, “To where shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life.” He listened because he desired what we all desire: eternal life. And he knew that in order to obtain it, he had to listen to the one who offered it because he had no idea how to obtain it himself. If someone tells us to do something we don’t want to do, and it’s not even required in order to obtain something we want to obtain, why would we listen? But if we know it’s the missing element that will give us what we desire most, then we will listen. So the only question that remains is, ‘Do I want to live forever?’ If so, then I should listen to Jesus.

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

What is God saying to me now? How does his promise of eternal life fill me with hope? How does the love of God we experience reveal a little bit of the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and how is God inviting me into that relationship with him?

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

A person’s spiritual story can be like a game of hide and seek with God. It is natural for us to hide from God, but we may not expect God to hide from us. Don’t get discouraged if he does hide. He wants us to build a deeper relationship with him when he does this. He wants to keep the search for truth, goodness, and beauty intriguing. That leads us to the listening part. If we do lectio divina correctly, we won’t cut corners on the last part, the contemplative part, where we remain quiet for a while to just listen for God to find out where he may be hiding. Sometimes, when we do this, we meet him as he walks right through the locked doors of our hearts. Deep inside though, we should remain open to him even in the midst of our fears.

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

The language of God is very strange. Every language is strange, but the language of God is especially strange, as it has to be, because it speaks of deeper and bigger realities. Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel are cloaked in esoteric, abstract terms and concepts. To those who do not know God, it all may sound foolish, but for those who have the Holy Spirit within them, the words of Sacred Scripture are the voice of God and the hope of eternal life. Do you hear him speaking to you as you read this Gospel? How do you hear him speaking to you now?

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

Many of the sayings of Jesus are hard to understand, and I’ll admit I’m taken aback by some of them. Some of the things he says are challenging. They challenge us to see things differently, which is good. It’s good because it’s a reminder that life and the world have knocked us off track. When something Jesus says does not line up with my own values, I can know that it’s because my experiences–and the way I perceive them–have caused me to see the world and life in ways that are not right and true. Listening to Jesus’ word sets me back on track. But sometimes listening requires a little extra effort, more than just skimming through the words and getting the superficial meaning. Some of the realities Jesus is teaching us lie beneath the surface. He has a reason for putting them there: It’s to teach us patience and to help us get in touch with our spiritual side.

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

We will hear the Good Shepherd’s voice when we listen to it. Anyone can claim to be a messenger from God, but only by knowing God’s voice can we know for sure that it is him speaking. He speaks to the heart. Coincidences happen. Not all coincidences are God incidents. If that were the case, every bet a gambler won would be a heavenly intervention. God intervenes at just the right time and place for a very distinct reason. His interventions are about much more than chance. He speaks to us in Scripture at the exact time when we need to hear it. If we don’t hear his voice in Scripture, we can remember what he said therein and listen for his voice in our everyday lives. God is good like that. He is resolute. He speaks to us in his timing–kairos, the promising moment of decision or action. In other words, when we do hear his voice it’s because he is calling us to make a decision or take action. 

If I cannot hear him, I will wait for that right moment. After all, he has waited for me for much longer many times. When I do not hear his voice distinctly, it may be because he is calling me to rest within, reflect, or contemplate the words he has already given me.

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

After listening to Jesus, the disciples on the road to Emmaus finally understood the Scriptures. That can be a lesson for us, too. After reading Scripture, if we continue to talk, wonder, and ask questions about it, God will lead us to answers. I like to listen for the ways Scripture resonates through the rest of my day after reading it. I share with others any connections I see between my experiences and what I read in God’s word. This helps me to see how the Bible is the living and breathing word of God. He continues to speak to us after we read it. When we read the Scriptures, it is like nutrition for our souls that fuels us for the rest of the day.

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

In the midst of doing what we can to hear and listen to God, it helps to remember that God listens to us. Even when our requests are outside of his will, I imagine it breaks his heart to tell us no–but he still listens. He listened to Thomas. He fulfilled Thomas’ request for proof. He knew that this answer would resonate through the ages for all those who ever doubt. His answer was for more than Thomas. It served as a truth that the entire world needs to know. When we are within God’s will, our requests—like Thomas’--align beautifully with the needs of others who are within his will. John speaks a great deal about abiding in the Lord, which means living within his will. When we do that, he hears us and we hear him. 

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

Mary came to Peter and John telling them that Jesus’ body was gone. By listening to her and running in haste to see if what she said were true, their faith was affirmed. People tell stories testifying to the works of God in their lives all of the time. These testimonies can often help us believe. Why not listen more closely to the ways God is working in other people’s lives? We can take this Gospel and use it as a lens through which we see other people’s lives. Sometimes God is working in our lives in ways we don’t understand, and other people can misinterpret his actions, just as Mary saw the empty tomb and assumed that someone stole Jesus’ body. God is always working in our lives, even if we don’t understand how at the moment. Sometimes we have to run to the tomb, or pursue the truth of someone’s testimony, to see what’s really going on. I have found that when we listen and search for the truth with a stout and genuine heart, God will always lead us to a deeper understanding of him and his works. 

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