Lectio Divina

by Fr Jean Celestin Ngoma

 

Stillness Prayer

O Father, in the stillness of our hearts, we seek Your presence.
Help us embrace the quiet moments, where we can hear Your gentle whispers and feel Your loving embrace.
Grant us the grace to find peace in silence and to cherish the beauty of solitude.

Amen.

 

 

1. Lectio (Read)

 

“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” ...  Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.  When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.  So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you."

St John 16:16,20-22 ESVUK

 

Silence

 

I chose the sacred phrase: Your sorrow will turn into joy to help me remain in the presence of God during this meditation.

Pause

 

 

2. Meditatio (Rejoice and Reflect)

I contemplate about Jesus' gifts to us, His followers, before and after his death.
Jesus promises and gifts were not intended to eliminate daily anxieties of the early Christians, but they did help alleviate their yokes besides helping establish meaningful relationships with Him.

 

Pause

 

I think about some of the burdens I am currently going through: anxiety and envy stemming from the enticement to the unattainable, the pressures of toxic productivity, or various fears, etc.

On this Third Sunday after Easter, I pray that Jesus would help me name my distress, the most significant burden that needs His attention, care and support.
Your sorrow will turn into joy

 

Pause

 

I learn from scriptures that:

• “Joy” is the first word of the new covenant: “Rejoice” is the first word Mary, the mother of Jesus, said to the archangel Gabriel.
• “Rejoice” is also the first sacred word uttered by Jesus in His first teaching on the Sermon on the Mount.
• My joy precedes my troubles, because it is the original nature of my soul. My troubles are not meant to be there. They are there for a reason.

Your sorrow will turn into joy

 

3. Oratorio (Ask and Pray)

Where is my joy today?

How can I put God’s command to rejoice into practice now and not tomorrow?

Your sorrow will turn into joy

 

Silence

 

Every day, let me consciously choose to focus on the joy of the Kingdom rather than worldly matters.  

When I wake up, I choose joy.

I focus on the positive side of life and do so with Christ.

At noon, I continue cultivating feelings of happiness, concentrating on the joy and gifts that Jesus provides.

 When I go to sleep, joy remains my choice.

Your sorrow will turn into joy

 

Pause

 

Christ wants to share His joy with you and me because, in His eyes, we are beautiful, precious, and loved by the eternal source of all love.

Each day, as we let Jesus be our Shepherd, we lack nothing, immersed in His love. We are re-created in His image.

Your sorrow will turn into joy

 

Now I creatively write a few words for my Lord:

Jesus is the source of my joy.

My sense of worth comes from You Lord, not from humans.

Humans are deceitful, but only God is faithful.

I am not broken or discarded; I am beautiful, previous and love.

Your sorrow will turn into joy

 

 

4. Contemplatio (Yield and Pray)

I yield in the presence of God and ask Him to help me live out Jesus’s command of Joy this week.

Your sorrow will turn into joy

 

Pause

 

I contemplate the safe space of the Ascension, and ask for the strength to abide and find contentment within my current reality. I cannot run away from it.

 

Silence

 

I close this meditation thinking about people who have helped me experience a kind of joy, resilience or faith.

I ask for the strength to encounter my fellow humans who will mirror back Christ’s joy to me.

May today’s prayer and encounter with my fellow human help me nurture my gift of joy and contentment.

Your sorrow will turn into joy

Amen.

Exit meditation