Lectio Divina

Prayer for stillness

 

Still in me the fear of my own shadow, the fear I feel in the face of the powerful, dark forces that unconsciously threaten me.

Give me the courage to face my darkness as well as my luminosity.

Give me the grace to not be fearful before my own complexity.

(Fr Ron Rolheiser, OMI)

 

1. Lectio (Read)

 

“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.  They will put you out of the synagogues.  Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.  And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.  But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you."

St John 16:1-4, ESVUK

 

 

2. Meditatio (Reflect)

 

Today's text presents a warning as well as a challenging time for the disciples and followers of Jesus.  This is a period of tribulation and trials—a time when Jesus seems to withdraw His physical presence from His disciples and from the world.

I imagine the fear they felt and their deep need for the Paraclete to help them endure the persecutions from dark forces and the darkness brought about by the enemies of Christ.  Here, our Lord Jesus strengthens us to endure the desolation caused by sin and the fear stemming from our disobedience.

 

Pause

 

Jesus was the first to experience desolation.  In the moments leading up to His crucifixion, He faced profound feelings of abandonment.  It was during this time that He chose to reach out to His friends and connect with His Father, which is reflected in the subsequent chapter of the Gospel of St John.

John emphasizes the importance of the verb "to remain," which he uses 67 times in his Gospel to remind us to seek God’s strength by abiding in Him—by following His commandments and ways.

 

 

3. Oratorio (Ask)

 

What gifts is the Lord promising to me during this week?

Jesus wants to give me the gift of joy this week.  He desires to fill my heart with joy.

My heart too desires joy.  Each day, I must abide in His love.

 

But how do I remain in Your love, God?

What do I do when joy eludes me?

What should I do in moments of meaninglessness and loneliness, during the heaviness of a gloomy winter, and when feeling isolated and filled with doubt?

In these trying times, how can I experience the joy that Jesus offers?

 

During this season of expectation, let me not be begrudging like the elder son in the parable of the Prodigal Son, who ultimately lost heart.

Let me remain watchful.  Appoint me, as you did for Ezekiel, to be a watchman for the house of Israel (cf. Ezekiel 3:17).

Let me practice and join in the messianic and true religion advocated by the Prophet Isaiah: to bring good news to the poor, to bind up the broken-hearted, and to proclaim liberty to the captives. (Isaiah 61:1).

1 Peter 4:8 echoes in my mind: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

No traitor felt excluded from the friendship of Christ.  This strengthens my confidence in the word of Jesus.

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. (Psalm 77:11)

 

 

4. Contemplatio (Yield to God's promise and pray)

 

I now yield before the Lord Jesus, immersed in the promises He made to His disciples, bringing that scene to life in my mind.

 

Silence

 

 In Your eyes, Lord, I am precious, loved by You Father, the eternal source of all love.

 

Silence

 

Let me be immersed in Your divine love this week.  May Your joy, happiness, and holiness become my daily desire.

 

Exit prayer using Psalm 23.