Lectio Divina

by Fr Jean Celestin Ngoma

 

Prayer for stillness

Divine Healer, thank you for providing me with this new avenue to experience Your love and mercy.

May this meditation on Your Word replace my fears and worries with Your divine presence.

May Your love and presence wrap around my body and mind, filling me completely.

It is only through You that I can achieve inner peace and truly bear fruit. I pray that this Lectio Divina meditation guides me toward meaningful progress.

 

 

1. Lectio (Read)

 

Jesus said, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many.  And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’  But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’  And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them. Please excuse me.’  And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’  So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’  And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’  And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’"

St Luke 14:16-24, ESVUK

 

Silence

 

I choose the sacred refrain for Meditation: "Invite me to your Kingdom Feast, Lord" to guide me in the presence of God during this moment of prayer.

 

2. Meditatio (Rejoice and Reflect)

 

I contemplate the characters in the text, their desires, and their pursuits. I also reflect on their refusal to attend the feast, primarily because their desires didn’t align with those of the host.

Their excuses, as highlighted in Isaac Williams’ sermon, reveal a tendency to prioritize personal desires over God’s invitation. (Isaac Williams, A Feast of Love)

In a world where the emphasis is on "being, having, and appearing more," various influences and ideologies may prevent me from sharing in the Father’s loving heart, which offers joy, peace, mercy, and compassion.

This text serves as a reminder for me to reflect on God’s healing love imparted to our hearts and how we can sometimes be insensitive to God’s goodness within us. God's love acts as a potent sword, cutting away what is corrupt within me. Through Christ's death and resurrection, God's love has inwardly ended my ongoing grief and affliction, healing my pain and traumas that the human body struggles to reject, and removing the fear from my soul. (cf. Saint Ambrose)  

Invite me to your Kingdom Feast, Lord

 

Pause

 

The invitees attempted to save their own lives, disregarding God’s invitation to join His kingdom. I am reminded not to always fall for the temporary happiness that the world can offer.  As a Christian, I exist in the world but do not belong to it.  Our ultimate home is in heaven.  This serves as a call to seek God’s kingdom first, rather than pursuing fleeting worldly salvation.  Lot’s wife sought after the kingdom of earth instead of God's kingdom.

Luke 17:32 resonates in my mind: "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it."  

Invite me to your Kingdom Feast, Lord.

 

 

 

3. Oratorio (Ask and Pray)

 

Today, Jesus, my Master of Wisdom, teaches me a lesson with one crucial question: Where is my treasure?

The joy of God’s kingdom is likened to a feast filled with invaluable treasures such as Holy Communion, sacraments, and daily prayers.  They carry great significance for my well-being and salvation.  Do I truly embrace the joy that comes from those divine treasures?  Yes, I must ask myself: Am I aware of their value?  Unlike Esau, who traded his birthright and steadfast vocation in the tribe of Abraham for an obvious simple plate of bread and lentils; let me seek for the glory of God hidden from eyes but imparted in my heart in the spirit.  My life today is a treasure hunt, not just for my daughters but for myself too.  I will seek where I can find divine treasures, looking for venues where I can share the joy of Your Kingdom Feast.

 

I formulate a  prayer to the Trinity:

 

God, our Father,

Your treasures are hidden realities; they exist, but they are not immediately obvious to my human eyes." They are not immediately brought into the spotlight in magazines, novels, and headlines. As a human created in Your likeness, I have relied on Your Spirit to help me find them.

     Invite me,  Father, to Your Kingdom Feast.

 

Jesus, our Saviour,

You are the one who invited me, urging me not to mistake the true treasure. The Christian life is also about a heavenly treasure hunt, searching for the real treasure that will last forever. Help me become aware of counterfeits, the Antichrist, and wolves in disguise.

 

Pause

 

Invite me to Your Kingdom Feast, Jesus. Grant me, Jesus, a new perspective on myself, as sometimes I need new glasses to see well.  Challenge me, like You challenged Saint Peter and his friends with their fishing techniques, to cast their nets on the right side of the boat.  The left side did not yield the expected fruit.  Lord, give me a new perspective on myself and others.  Invite me to Your Kingdom Feast, my Lord and Master Jesus!

     Invite me, Jesus, to Your Kingdom Feast.

 

Holy Spirit,

When my faith is shaken and shattered because I trusted in worldly achievements, come Holy Spirit. Bring Your divine therapy and reset my thoughts to reflect the divine love of Christ’s Kingdom.

When vulnerability arises from original sin, reset my desires to align with Jesus’ desires.

In a world hostile to Gospel values, let me bring forth Your truth with mercy and compassion.

When there is an unbridled pursuit of material goods, glory, and pride, let Jesus Christ be first.  In the face of selfish pursuits of pleasure and profits at all costs, sanctify me, Jesus.  When I fail to love as I should, dispose of my heart to receive strength from You.

Make me available again to fight against the enemies of Christ: vaccinate me and guard me.

I know for sure that I am empowered by my baptism and my faith, through the Holy Spirit, who is infinitely more powerful than evil spirits. Invite me to Your Kingdom Feast, Lord.

    Invite me Holy Spirit to Your Kingdom Feast.

 

 

4. Contemplatio (Yield and pray)

 

Silence

 

Invite me now, Lord, to yield and contemplate the evidence of Your divine, wholesome power to heal.

My anxiety, fears, and discouragement may still be there, but I know that my healer is in heaven.

 

Silence

 

All I want now, Lord, is for you to walk with me on this journey marked by doubt and disobedience.

Be with me when I lift my head to confront challenges.

Divine Healer, grant me new venues where I can experience Your love and mercy.

 

Supplant my past sins with the memory of Your divine restoration realized through Jesus Christ.

Help me make progress.

Invite me to the Kingdom Feast of the Lamb.

 

Amen.

 

Exit meditation.