Lectio Divina

As I continue to meditate upon Your divine compassion, O Lord, I choose to use the Serenity Prayer to re-centre my senses upon your presence:

 

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;

that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

(Reinhold Niebuhr)

 

1. Lectio (Read)

 

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

(Luke 7:11-17, ESVUK)

 

Silence

 

• I listen carefully for any words, mental representations, phrases, or concept that seem to jump out. I was struck by the image of Jesus seeing the mother of the man who died and had compassion on her, and said:  DO NOT WEEP!

 

• My refrain would be: Do not weep! Please Arise!

 

 

2. Meditatio (Rejoice and Reflect)

 

• Jesus had compassion for the mother of the deceased man.  I try to imagine the venue: it happened near the gate of a town called Nain. The name of this city means beauty, and pleasant. I contemplate the door, the instrument that separates the inside from the outside, where something pleasant is going to happen: The resurrection of the man!

 

Being a fruit of Jesus’ compassion as well as a pleasant experience for the mother of the deceased, the restoration of the deceased is applauded by those who witnessed God’s salvific action…

 

compassion is the source of intangible joy;

God’s mercy is pleasant, it satisfies my heart;

compassion is the force that no fear can destroy.

 

I paraphrase the words of Jesus in my mind: “I am standing at the door: ready to ring the bell of your heart and bring you peace and happiness”. (cf. John 10:9)

 

Do not weep! Please Arise!

 

• I focused further on the characters of the story: What are the names of the widow? and the deceased father?  What is their tribe’s or ethnicity’s  name? The characters in this text are nameless and tribeless.  This indicates that my compassion is to be universal: mercy, kindness, patience, grace, forgiveness, and love are all divine gifts that I should share with everybody I meet.

 

Silence

 

3. Oratorio (Ask and Respond)

Jesus as a good shepherd visited people.  Will I be able to perceive the many visits of God in my ordinary life, in the life of our Parish, and in the life of people I will meet during this week?

 

Pause

 

Reflecting on the week that has started, Lord, show me where You were at work in my life.  In what ways did I experience Your compassion: mercy, kindness, patience, grace, forgiveness, and love and when did I hear You speak?  Where did I see you at work?

 

• Compassion moved Jesus to weep when his friend Lazarus died. Does the suffering, the sorrow of others produce in me the same feelings?

 

• Compassion is the recognition of suffering in self and others: What do I do to help alleviate and prevent the sufferings of others? When did I hear You speak and when did You whisper?  God, whisper your words of divine mercy in my mind

 

I choose to rejoice in God’s intricate involvement in my life today, remembering His Love for me:

  

• Dear Lord you know the history of my compassion fatigue in my missionary life. For everything I did that created indifference to the suffering of others... Thank you for always acting with goodness, restoring me, and rekindling your divine joy in my heart.

 

Do not weep! Please Arise!

 

• Thank you for Ascension Church that strives to live out the Christian faith as disciples practicing kindness and generosity.

 

Do not weep! Please Arise!

 

4. Contemplatio (Yield and pray)

 

• As I return to the passage, I open my ears to hear Your word again,
  I reset my heart to silently yield to Your will once again.

 

Silence

 

• Do not weep:  because I am bringing you now the peace that no one on earth can give (cf. John 14:27).

 

• Please arise: You make me stand because you are the source of my peace and joy.

 

I pray:

Father, help me to live this day to the full, being true to You, in every way.

Jesus, help me to give myself away to others, being kind to everyone I meet.

Spirit, help me to love the lost, proclaiming Christ in all I do and say.

Amen.

(Audio Archbishop Justin Welby
for Lectio365)