Lectio the Liturgy

This week’s Collect addresses two of the more difficult parts of the Christian life: discerning and doing. How can I trust that what I hear is from God and what if I’m afraid to step out? Go back to the beginning: Oh God, from whom all good things come.

There is something very different and yet almost unnoticeable in this week’s prayer. It is not addressed to God the Father, it is addressed to Jesus, and rightly so. Once we enter into the Mass like we are invited to, we meet Jesus - every time - Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, and we become a part of Him. To “do this in memory” takes us to the table of the Last Supper, to the foot of the Cross, a...

What do we do with a Sunday to celebrate one of the greatest mysteries of the Church - the Trinity? Unless God gives us divine revelation, we may never be able to grasp it all. However, whether we understand it or not, we are made to live in the midst of the Trinity, to grow and flourish in the love that is the divine life of God.

God did not spin the wheel and see what day Pentecost would land on! It was a part of his plan all along, and when I learned about Pentecost, how it was first mentioned in the Old Testament, just maybe the Disciples had a clue. The original Jewish Holy Day of Pentecost also celebrated the day that God gave Moses the Torah on Mt. Sinai. Notice how God’s glory appeared to both Moses and the Disciple...

The heavenly realms are ALREADY in us. We aer ALREADY seated with Jesus in heaven. This changes everything! It changes how we act and what we say, it should also change how we pray. We are not earthly creatures praying for heaven to come down, we are heavenly creatures bring God’s love to the world. LectioTheLiturgy.com

Heartfelt devotion is not just a warm fuzzy. It means to go to God exactly as we are, not hiding something, not pretending to “just fine,” not afraid. It also means that we need to not pick up when we lay at his feet because Jesus has already taken care of it on the cross.

Heartfelt devotion is not just a warm fuzzy. It means to go to God exactly as we are, not hiding something, not pretending to “just fine,” not afraid. It also means that we need to not pick up when we lay at his feet because Jesus has already taken care of it on the cross.

Sure - let God do all the work, but there's one important thing that has to happen first. We have to participate. We've got to cooperate with His plan! So go ahead, get fertilized and put yourself in a bigger pot - see what joys God has for you!

We were made and meant to live in the joys of heaven now! How? By letting the Shepherd lead us.

In the prayer, we tell God that with our renewed "youthfulness of spirit" we rejoice forever in our restored adoptioin. "Youthfulness of spirit" is being like a kid again. Let yourself go! Rejoice in our Father's love! Notice, too, the three times we hear the word rejoice in the prayer. If we're not joyful people, we need to make some changes.

Three things the Church wants us to understand and grasp: the font, the Spirit, and the Blood. Our freedom comes from the womb that is the tomb. Not the tomb of death, but the tomb of Resurrection power.

At Easter Vigil we hear how God opened the doors to set captives free. In the Collect for Easter Mass, we hear how God opened the doors to eternity. They are the same doors! As Resurrection people, we, too, are made new creatures, called and equipped to carry on the mission of Jesus.

How many times have you been a patient sufferer? How many patient sufferers do you know? What if our patient suffering is what makes us partakers in Resurrection Glory? I'm not going to ask for extra suffering, but I will use what I have much more efficiently!

Did Jesus need to be convinced or did He eagerly desire to be our salvation? Of those two, which one do we ask for in this week's Collect?

I remember learning about transcendentals a long time ago, so this prayer was a fun refresher. Originally named by Aquinas and Plato, these original three, truth, beauty, and goodness tell us what God is. (See my blog post for definitions) It made me think about how often we look for the goodness of God. Something is good when it fulfills what it is intended to do. For example, a car that has terr...

"Listen to Him" wasn't just for Peter, James, and John. Jesus is talking to us, too. God speaks to us in the same ways he spoke to the disciples, we just need to know how to listen and receive. Check out the verbs in this prayer - how the world would change if we had a heart completely open to receive!

In this week's prayer, we find the word "observances" when we pray about this year's holy Lent. Looking at the Latin form of the prayer, however, we don't just observe, for us Lent is an exercise. We are in training. What our time in Lent should bring forth in us is that we grow in the understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects. Remember, that the major...

I used a math trick for the prayer this week. In math it is called rearranging equations, where you cross off like numerals on each side of the equals sign to simplify finding the answer. In the prayer, I crossed off like phrases to get to the heart of the prayer, that we come to rely ONLY on the grace of God. Your moning tea (or coffee)? It's all grace! (Thanks be to God!)

In this week's prayer, we hear the words, "one Bread," "one Chalice," and "one in Christ." The Father delights when his children can play together, however, we must also realize that there is an enemy that working against us.

Why do we strive to become better versions of ourselves when we really need to consider becoming the person God created us to be? This week's prayer tells us that this process begins in our mind and heart.

Our actions can lead to good works but look at how much greater those good works are when they are done out of love for God and from our own self-sacrifice.

What does it mean when we say that God is all-powerful? It is easy to say, it is also an exciting topic to meditate on.

We usually read the story of the Epiphany and pay attention to the Magi, but what if we are the star?

Imitating the Holy Family is going to take some grace!