Word, Worship, & Works of Mercy

This week my church, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Temperance, MI, is hosting a 3-day mission for our parish. The speaker is Thomas Smith, from Colorado. He shared a little of his personal faith journey with us last night. You can read about his background as a former Mormon, and later a former Baptist minister, finally becoming a Catholic in the 1990s from a 2001 news article by clicking here. Mr. Smith now travels the country and the world presenting programs such as this one and the Great Adventures Catholic Bible series. He did an excellent job.

The topic of the 3-day mission is the three pillars: Word, Worship, and Works of Mercy. These teachings are found in the early Jewish faith (Rabbi Simeon the Just taught that “the world exists through three things: the Law, worship, and beneficence.” -Pirkei Avoth 1:2).  The three pillars later appeared in two famous sermons of Jesus (Matthew 5 – 7 and 23-25.)

On Monday night Smith addressed the first pillar, the need to study the Word—the Holy Bible. Smith discussed how many of us struggle to study the Bible. One method he mentioned was exactly the same as I discussed in an earlier posting on this site: Making a new year’s resolution to read the complete Bible in one year. Unfortunately, the narrative of the Bible gets people lost somewhere around Leviticus and then they give up. Another method he called “Bible Roulette.” In this method a person lets the Bible fall open, points to a passage, and reads and meditates on it. While this may work in some cases, often the passage has an obscure meaning, making it difficult to relate it to one’s daily life. Instead, it is best to read the Bible in the proper context of what is happening at that particular time, who the audience is, etc. Smith recommends learning about the Bible from Bible studies, good books, etc.

However, Smith did offer us an excellent way to study the Bible right now, even without much Bible background. We can use the Word in a prayerful way, through a method developed by St. Benedict and Pope Gregory I. The method is called Lectio Divina.  Lectio Divina (pronounced “lex-e-o   di-vee-nah”) is Latin for Divine Reading or Spiritual Reading. Smith recommends we do this daily. This method has four steps:

1-    Lectio (Reading) – Smith recommends choosing the Gospel passage of the day  (the reading from daily Mass is a great place to start.) The Gospel, the life and words of Jesus, are often the most easy to apply to our daily lives.

2-    Meditatio (Reflecting) – Certain phrases or passages will spark your spirit to respond to them. Focus on those.

3-    Oratio (Responding) – Turn what God has brought to your attention back to Him in the form of prayer.

4-    Contemplatio (Resting) – Give God some quiet time where you can be still in His presence.

Smith said we can better understand and recall this using the metaphor of eating a fine meal:

Step 1: The LECTIO is reading the Bible or taking a perfect “bite” of Holy Scripture to start with.

Step 2: The MEDITATIO is to “chew” on the word of God. Smith says that the pre-translated word for “meditation” is really more a sound.  The sound is the satisfactory noise one makes when digging into something tasty and satisfying, like when you slide cheesecake off your fork and into your mouth. Meditation as referred to here is not just the silent state of contemplation, but the pleasant sound of succor when are senses are filled.

Step 3: The ORATIO is when we are digesting the fine meal. In Scripture, we are bringing nourishment from the “food” of Scripture into our being to build the strength of our spirit. 

Step 4: The CONTEMPLATIO, or resting, is when we rest in the Word. It is the after-dinner period of rest when we internally acknowledge our satisfaction with the feast. It is the quiet time of prayer, where we allow all things to be still so that we can be with God. It is the ultimate act of hospitality, when we make time and space for God.

While Benedictine’s recommend an hour per day in Lexio Divina, Smith says everyone can benefit from just about 20 minutes daily of practicing this method of study and prayer. For a deeper explanation and understanding of this method of study and prayer, Smith recommends reading Praying for a Change: An Introduction to Lectio Divina by Dr. Tim Gray.  Thomas Smith also has a website where you can read more about his apostolate and his teachings. It is www.gen215.org.

If you are interested in attending the remaining sessions on Nov. 9 & 10, it is not too late to join us. On day two Smith will speak about Worship, where we will learn the Examen Prayer. On day three Smith will present how to incorporate the Works of Mercy into our lives. The gathering is in the church and the evening session runs from 7 to 8 pm, following 6:00 pm Mass. There is also a morning session after 9 am Mass. All are welcome to attend. There is no registration required and no fee to attend. If you would like to join me there, or have questions, just email me at bonnie@folkberry.com.  May God continue to guide you on your journey and have a blessed day!