Lectio for Lent- Monday, April 11th, 2022
Theme: Go A Little Farther
Readings: Psalm 31:9-11 Mark 14:32-36
Today begins the week of April 11th, we are reading the Psalm and gospel reading from the fifth Sunday in Lent.
Thomas Keating, a Cistercian monk, describes Lectio Divina as a circle consisting of four movements:
Reading in the presence of God
Reflecting through repetition
Responding with heart felt prayer
Resting in God’s presence
“The regular practice of lectio divina has the power to transform us if we give ourselves over day after day. God dismantles our falsity and we are free to step out of our small ego-centered mind and into the mind and heart of Jesus Christ.” -Maria Tasto, OSB
This is your time to be still before God so remove anything that might distract you from your prayer.
CLICK ON THE ARROW TO PLAY THE AUDIO
Prayer of Stillness
As we enter prayer now, we pause to be still (Pause & Pray)
We pause to rest with the silence (Pause)
We slow down to gather our scattered senses and thoughts (Pause)
We re-center our attention on the Presence (Pause)
We breathe in the love of the Divine (Pause)
God is here with us. He desires and loves to be with us.
He delights in us. He delights when we come together in a community of prayer.
Prayer of Gathering
O Lord, we ask that you would gather us as one vessel to receive and hold whatever you would pour into us so that whatever you give us might overflow from our hearts to others near to us and to the rest of the world. Fill us now with your Holy Spirit.
Amen
We join with the universal body of God’s people in reading the words of Psalm 31:9-11.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief my soul and my body also.
For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.
Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach, especially to my neighbors and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.
Psalm 31:9-11
Lectio Divina
Lectio– First reading: Mark 14:32-36
As I read the text slowly let the words wash over you, noticing words or phrases that grab your attention.
And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”
And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.
Mark 14:32-36 ESV
Let the text wash over you, noticing words or phrases that grab your attention.
(Pause & Pray)
Meditatio– Second reading: Mark 14:32-36 From the Message Translation
As I slowly read the text, reflect on the words and their connection to your life.
They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him. He sank into a pit of suffocating darkness. He told them, “I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me.”
Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: “Papa, Father, you can—can’t you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?”
Mark 14:32-36 MSG
Reflect on the words and their connection to your life.
(Pause & Pray)
Oratio– Third reading: Mark 14:32-36
After hearing the text read again, respond to God with prayer. Talk freely with God as you would a close friend.
And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” And he took with him Peter and James and John and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”
And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.
Mark 14:32-36 ESV
Respond to God with prayer. Talk freely with God as you would a close friend.
(Pause & Pray)
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, Living Christ:
You are the answer to my deepest questions.
You are my stability in all my uncertainty.
You are provision to all my needs.
Your love dwells with me in the temple of my heart and mind.
In you, there is nothing that can separate me from God.
With prayerful intentions, I declare my deepest truth in the face of life’s deepest darkness.
I challenge the shadows of doubt, depression, anger, fear, and judgment with the light of resurrection love.
Please add your prayers for a need in your community or the world that needs a healing touch...
Oh, Transcendent One, you are hearing us better than we can even put into words, we offer these prayers.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
