Lectio Divina

by Fr Jean Celestin Ngoma

 

Prayer for Stillness

Make me a channel of Your peace

Where there is hatred let me bring Your love

Where there is injury, Your pardon, Lord

And where there's doubt, true faith in You.

(St. Francis)

 

 

1. Lectio (Read)

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

St John 1:1-5, ESVUK

 

Silence

 

I choose the sacred phrase “Jesus will do it again because all things were made through Him” as a refrain to lead my meditation in the presence of God.

 

 

2. Meditatio (Rejoice and Reflect)

 

While meditating on the birth of our Lord Jesus, today’s reading leads me to meditate on the mystery of Jesus‘s incarnation, the word of God who has become flesh and what it actually means in my life.

In the beginning…

In the beginning refers to a point of time in the economy of salvation.  I think about the beginning of my faith journey with Christ, moments I experience as a kind of birth/re-birth, those significant spiritual preeminent experiences of my life: the day of my baptism, first communion, Confirmation and ordination.  All those days when I said no to the evil and decided to be a faithful member of the Kingdom of heaven here on earth.

 

Pause

 

Jesus, through his death and resurrection, made everything happen in my life.  He is the beginning of everything just, pure, worth of praise lovely and commendable I experienced in my life. (cf. Philippians 4:8)

He made me become God’s family member and participate in His royal priesthood.  He is the beginning, the end, the Alpha and Omega of my ascension towards heavenly reality.

Every day, I allow Jesus to make something new in my daily life, in my mind because everything was made through Him, and without Him nothing would be possible (cf. John 1:3).

Jesus will do it again because all things were made through Him.

 

The Word was with God, and the Word was God….

The word here can also be understood in terms of a language. Words are used to make sentences, and they characterise a spoken language.  Language helps us cross over ourselves and reach out to others.  Even those who have decided to leave far away from their fellow humans still need words or a language to express the rationale of their fundamental choice.  That is exactly what words and language do; they bridge the gap and help us express our emotions, our love.

I note the following:

Jesus, the Word of God, reaches out to our humanity.

His incarnation empowered me to share in His Father’s kingdom.

It is the source of my restoration and makes me go beyond my subjectivity to be able to reach out to God’s people the way Jesus would reach them, unbiasedly.

His incarnation allows me to call God “My Father”.

 

Pause

 

I understand why Jesus’s healing words are so powerful and authority affirming.  Jesus, the word of God, was there since the beginning of creation.  His words are divine, and I should use them as weapons against the evils of this world.  They can heal me; heal my mind and soul for everlasting life.

Jesus will do it again because all things were made through Him.

 

 

3. Oratorio (Ask and Pray)

 

I think about the birthday of Jesus, the Christ who comes to revisit me and the society in which I live.

The Christ, who is born, is born in our society today, full of divisions, suspicions and hatred; a society that more and more loses its trust in God and its obedience in the Spirit.

 

Pause

 

The Christ who is born in my mind, which is sometimes full of doubt and confusions:

Doubt:  When I do not fully trust that Jesus will make everything okay again in my life.

Confusion:  The trust in my reasoning can affect the divine communication between me and Jesus.  Too much of reasoning may open doors for deception and bring much confusion.

Restless Pursuit:  When I wake up, I always ask myself what I am doing today… In this “always wanting more attitude” Lord; let me shift the question and say what does Jesus want to do for me today.

In other words:  Jesus, I want you to be born again in my heart and mind today and challenge my unending restless pursuit.

Jesus will do it again because all things were made through Him.

 

 

4. Contemplatio (Yield and Pray)

 

Silence

 

Allow me now, Lord, to contemplate your incarnation today.

You come to us under the form of man while remaining God.

May the mystery of divine communication allow me to see your glory.

Make things new again in my life during this week.

 

Silence

 

The song "Great things happen today when God mixes with man" echoes in my mind.

I try to remember the words:

Great things happened when God mixes with man

Great things happen when God mixes with us

Great and wonderful, beautiful things

Great things happened when God mixes with us.

Some find peace, some find love

Some people even find joy

Some see things as they never could before

And some people find that they can now begin to trust.

 

Jesus will do it again because all things were made through Him.

 

Silence and exit meditation.

Merry Christmas!