Saint Monica Catholic Church

Enriching the Lenten Journey with Scripture Reflection

Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart … Joel 2:12

Lent always sneaks up on me. I’m still bathed in the glow of the Christmas miracle when I wake up on Ash Wednesday and realize that today a blackened cross on my forehead will remind me just how fragile I really am. Our God is always crying, “Return to me,” and in my busyness and self-absorption, I often ignore God’s call or it falls on ears deafened by the noise of my distracted life. Lent is the time to extend myself—body and soul—to God in preparation for the great Easter blessing I will receive at the journey’s end. It is also the time to take stock of my life and to discover ways I can return – whole and spiritually healthy – to the God who loves and saves me.

One way I can return to God is by reconnecting with people with whom I’ve lost touch. It may be as simple as sharing a cup of tea with a friend, or it may mean laying aside past hurts and asking for, or granting, forgiveness for something that has kept both of us from moving forward. This is the season of forgiveness and the time to see myself and others as we really are and not as I would have us be. This season is an opportunity for me to live into a new reality – one where I say “Yes” to God, even when the easier and more comfortable “No” is on the tip of my tongue.

Lectio divina, literally “divine reading,” is a way of praying the scriptures that helps me begin each day, and it is especially powerful during Lent when I am trying to examine my motives, values and relationships more closely. Below is a brief guide that will help you practice this ancient and satisfying form of daily prayer. Praying the scriptures might just help you answer “Yes” to the challenges and opportunities God sets before you during this Lenten season.

A brief guide to practicing private lectio divina
Select a short passage from one of the daily readings. Sit in a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. Then, read the passage four times, paying attention each time to the following facets of lectio divina:

• Lectio (first reading). Read the passage slowly, gently. Savor each portion of the reading, listening for the still, small voice of a word or phrase that somehow says, “I am for you today.”
• Meditatio (meditation). As you read a second time, take the word or phrase into yourself. Do not be afraid of distractions. Allow this inner pondering to invite you into dialogue with God.
• Oratio (prayer). After the third reading, speak to God in words or in silence. Give to God what you have found within your heart.
• Contemplatio (contemplation). Read for the fourth time, and then rest in God’s embrace. Rejoice in the knowledge that God is with you in both words and silence, in spiritual activity and inner receptivity.

We sincerely hope that reading the daily reflection and the Scripture selections will lead you into a deeper relationship with God’s Word, and if this is the first time you have tried lectio divina, we hope you will find it an enriching Lenten experience.

Blessings for a holy Lent,
Katherine Duck