Monday in the Third Week of Lent

We explore a simple path to pray with Scripture during Lent, moving from careful reading to lived action. Through clear steps and short prayers, we seek a renewed mind, a steadier heart, and a concrete act of charity.

• opening invocations and offering of the day
• definition and purpose of Lectio Divina
• lectio as slow, attentive reading
• meditatio as personal and communal reflection
• oratio as honest response in prayer
• contemplatio as receiving God’s way of seeing
• actio as concrete charity flowing from prayer
• questions for personal reflection

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith this Lent, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lenten Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com
The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store
More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org

Transcript

Introducing Lectio Divina

The Four Movements Explained

From Contemplation To Action

Personal Reflection And Closing Prayers

Lenten Resources And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Monday in the third week of Lent. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. Lectio Divina. While not specifically part of Mass, it seems fitting at this point, having reflected on the Word of God, to mention something about how we might pray with sacred scripture. This is the form of prayer known as Lectio Divina. It can seem intimidating, but the following words from Pope Benedict XVI help to make it more approachable by dividing the steps of Lectio into different questions. Each of these questions can help us approach the Word from different angles as we seek a deeper and more living relationship with God and His Word. I would like here to review the basic steps of this procedure. It opens with the reading or lexio of a text, which leads to a desire to understand its true content. What does the biblical text say in itself? Without this, there is always a risk that the text will become a pretext for never moving beyond our own ideas. Next comes meditation, or meditatio, which asks, what does the biblical text say to us? Here, each person, individually but also as a member of the community, must let himself or herself be moved and challenged. Following this comes prayer, or oratio, which asks the question, What do we say to the Lord in response to his word? Prayer as petition, intercession, thanksgiving, and praise is the primary way by which the word transforms us. Finally, Lectio Divina concludes with contemplation or contemplatio, during which we take up as a gift from God his own way of seeing and judging reality, and ask ourselves, what conversion of mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking of us? In the letter to the Romans, Saint Paul tells us, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Contemplation aims at creating within us a truly wise and discerning vision of reality, as God sees it, and at forming within us the mind of Christ. The word of God appears here as a criterion for discernment. It is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. We do well also to remember that the process of Lectio Divina is not concluded until it arrives at action or actio, which moves the believer to make his or her life a gift for others in charity. Do you pray with sacred scripture? What insight has this given you? All that I have and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith this Lent, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lenten Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org.