Lectio Divina

A priest friend of mine led an evening of Lectio Divina tonight. Lectio Divina (Latin for "Divine Reading") is “a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's word. In the view of one commentator, it does not treat scripture as texts to be studied, but as the living word.”

He read a passage of scripture several times. We were invited to post a comment with a word or thought that struck us. The verses read were from Mark where Jesus calls Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. What stood out for me is that they immediately left their nets. Immediately.

I have a problem with immediately. As in – what immediately comes out of my mouth is usually wrong, bad, ill-timed, etc. But that’s following my own impulses and desires. How much better would immediately be if I followed God’s lead?

At the end of the exercise, we were invited to speak with Jesus and to listen to him. This is something I’ve done many times as I learned how to do it on a retreat. I am not saying I am always successful. Sometimes I’ve got too much personal static and interference going on. Tonight, was lovely though. When I asked Jesus to send me a word the Holy Spirit sent munificence. I didn’t even know what that meant so I had to look it up.

It means “the quality or action of being lavishly generous; great generosity.” To use it in a sentence one could say, "we must be thankful for his munificence."

Thank you, Lord, for your munificence. I will take everything that you lavish so generously on me and turn it back to You in praise and to show love and charity to others. Amen!