Beloved seekers of God’s life with us and in us, last week we shared how the practice of yielding to the insights that come to us in times of Lectio Divina can serve as a blessing. Today we continue that reflection with an emphasis on the gift of healing inherent in this spiritual practice. We come open to our time of prayer, with a longing to know more fully that life of God that is our true life, found within the life we know or currently experience. This life of God, which is our true life, must be opened both from the outside, through our Christian faith life, as well as, interiorly by our willingness to yield to deep, prayer-centered, intimacy with God.
As we continue to feel more comfortable with the practice of Lectio Divina, we can trust God is healing and freeing our hearts and minds from their tangled burdens. We become increasingly comfortable releasing our memory, our understanding and our entire will to God’s care. We affirm that our God of mercy and compassion is offering a path of spiritual healing and inner clarity. We become assured that we are experiencing interior spiritual expansion that brings with it healing and freedom.
At first, we may experience the healing as moments of increased peace and well-being. As we persist in contemplative living practices, such as Lectio Divina, we note that the healing will sometimes involve a process whereby memories hidden deep within us become drawn to the surface of our consciousness. When this happens, we often at first feel agitated and/or uncomfortable. Memory has an important role in forming our identity. If there is pain in the memories, finding God’s presence in these memories can heal and free our self-understanding and help us to offer ourselves and others a more loving embrace. In her book, Gold in Your Memories, Macrina Wiederkehr suggests that memories can be like “…beads of life gathered together to create a beautiful necklace of experience.”[1] God’s compassionate, loving, presence can transform painful memories into experiences of deep compassionate love. God reorders our understanding of ourselves, others and events in a way that offers peace: “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, (and) will guard…(our) hearts and…minds in Christ Jesus.”[2]
Next week, we will further discuss the gifts of healing, restoration and freedom that are inherent in the spiritual practice of Lectio Divina.
Lectio Divina Format: For Our Zoom Gathering Thursday January 21st at 7 p.m.
Opening Prayer: For Quiet Confidence
“O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thouart God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”[3]
Brief Musical Interlude
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 45:7-8
I am Yahweh, unrivaled,
I form the light and create the dark.
I make good fortune and create calamity,
It is I, Yahweh, who do all this.
Send victory like dew, you heavens,
and let the clouds rain it down.
Let the earth open
for salvation to spring up.
Let deliverance, too, bud forth
which I, Yahweh, shall create.[4]
Observation: Listening to the Reading of the Word (Lectio)
As we listen to the word read for the first time, we are invited to be aware of any word or phrase that catches our attention. The key here is to listen with the soul center rather than with the mind. After a minute of silence, we will be invited to share it with the group.
Application: Reflecting on the Word (Meditatio)
As we listen to the word read for a second time, we are invited to be aware of any reflection or thought that comes to mind. Now we use the combination of the word which God used to stir our soul and thoughts that seem connected to it. After five minutes of silence, we will be invited to share our experience with the group.
Deeper Reflection: Resting in the Word (Contemplatio)
As we listen to the word read for a third time, we are invited just to sit with it in silence for five minutes. We let our thoughts become simpler and quieter. We become aware beyond its words, communing with the Spirit who speaks through it. In the silence of our hearts, we simply rest in the Spirit.
Prayer: Responding to the Word (Oratio)
The leader now invites us to be aware of any prayer that rises up within us from our hearts that expresses what we are experiencing in and through this time of meditation. After a minute of silence, we will be invited to express it aloud.
Yielding: Daily Practice
Let the material God has provided rise up into your consciousness as you go about your daily living this week. Discern any slight changes that may occur in your thoughts and behavior because God has and is touching the quality of your consciousness through a new depth of awareness. If so inclined, journal on this.
Closing: The Lord’s Prayer [5]
[1] Wiederkehr, Macrina. Gold in Your Memories. (Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 1988), 16, “necklace of experience” refers to a poem “The Beads of Life” by Nancy Wood.
[2] Philippians 4:7, General editor: Alexander Jones. The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.
[3] Prayers for Family and Personal Life, #59. (1875). The Book of Common Prayer: New-York: T. Whittaker, 832.
[4] Isaiah 45:7-8, The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.
[5] Matthew 6:10-13, The Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1966.
Spiritual Homesteading 