John 3:1-10

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.  He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.”

Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old?  Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”

Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.  What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’  The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?”

Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?”

Genesis 1:26-31

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.  And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps upon the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.

John 1:35-39

John (the Baptist) again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”   The two disciples heard John say this, and they followed Jesus.  When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?”  They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”  He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.  It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:  I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Now longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me…

Isaiah 42:1-4

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Mark 6:30-44

Contemplation with Scripture*

step one

I prepare myself for prayer.
I remember that God is here with me.

step two

I read the gospel story:

Jesus said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.

Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

When it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now very late; send them away so that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.’ But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’

They said to him, ‘Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?’ And he said to them, ‘How many loaves have you? Go and see.’ When they had found out, they said, ‘Five, and two fish.’

Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled; and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand.

step three

I picture the place where the story takes place.
I ask God to speak to me through the story.

step four

I imagine that I am one of the people in the scene.

What do I see?
What do I smell?
What do I feel?
What do I taste?
What do I hear?

I remain there in the scene.

conclusion

I respond to God in my own words.
I take time to rest in God.

* Adapted from
YOU: Prayer for Beginners and Those Who Have Forgotten How
by Mark Link, S. J.

Matthew 26:17-22 * *

Contemplation with Scripture

step one

I prepare myself for prayer.
I remember that God is here.

step two

I read the gospel story:

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?”  He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, “The Teacher says, “My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.”  So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.  When it was evening, Jesus took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?’ (Matthew 26:17-22)

step three

I picture the room where the story takes place.
I ask God to speak to me through the story.

step four

I imagine that I am one of the people at the table.

What do I see?
What do I smell?
What do I feel?
What do I taste?
What do I hear?

I remain there in the scene.

conclusion

I respond to God in my own words.
I take time to rest in God.

* * Feeding Judas, a woodcut by P. Solomon Raj (from The Christian Century, February 17, 2016).  A Lutheran pastor, Raj is director of St. Luke’s Lalitkala Ashram in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.
Against you only have I sinned *
and done what is evil in your sight.
And so you are justified when you speak *
and upright in your judgement.
Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
a sinner from my mother’s womb.
For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
Purge me from my sing, and I shall be pure; *
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
that the body you have broken may rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins *
and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in my a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.

Lectio and meditatio 1
*  Read the passage slowly, silently or aloud, and take a few minutes for silent reflection.
*  Now identify a word or phrase that catches your attention.
*  In your journal, write down any words that touch you.

Lectio and meditatio 2
*  Read the passage slowly a second time, and again take a few minutes for reflection.
*  Ask yourself, “How does this passage speak to my life today?”
*  Write down your response.

Lectio and meditatio 3
*  Read the passage a third time, and once again take a few minutes for reflection.
*  Ask yourself, “What do I believe God wants me to do or be? Is God inviting me to change in any way?”
* Write down your response.

Oratio and contemplatio
*  Conclude with prayer (not a prayer of words, but a time of remaining open to the Spirit who has spoken to you through the Scripture).
*  You may wish to write down thoughts, images, and insights that came in your time of prayer.

VISIO DIVINA
‘Holy  Reading’ Using a Work of Art *

Luke 24:13-35
(The Road to Emmaus, by Daniel Bonnell)

Lectio Divina, an ancient monastic practice, is a meditative way of reading Scripture.  Visio Divina is another way of holy ‘reading’, opening up God’s message through art.

Practicing ‘Visio Divina’

Lectio:  Read  the picture slowly and quietly. Give it time to open up in you.

Meditatio:  Reflect   upon what the picture is saying to you – and what you want to talk to God about – because of what the picture suggests or represents.

Oratio:  Respond   by writing down what has entered your spirit.  Now circle a word or phrase from what you have written.

Contemplatio:  Rest  with your word or phrase, allowing the Holy Spirit’s wisdom to speak to your spirit.

*  Adapted from Rita King, “Praying with Icons and Images: Visio Divina”