4/30/13;

 Lectio: Jn 15.1-8                                                                                                                     

 Meditatio: “I [Jesus] am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” Jn 15.5

Oratio: "O God, how You love us!                          

I remember Jesus declared that He is the Vine and we are the branches - in essence that we receive life directly from Him by remaining attached to Him.

Grant that I may always allow the grace of Jesus to fill me so that I may produce the fruit the He wants and deserves from me.                        
                  
 I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the  Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

 Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

 Operatio:  Reflect on "Vine...branches”; Vine is the source of eternal life and to the source of a good life now if we remain attached; branches bear fruit and even more if they are pruned which the Heavenly Father does for us; in prayer asks for the grace to always be a productive branch for Jesus and rejoice in the role He gives me.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 15.1-9-11            

4/29/13;

 Lectio:  Jn 14.27-31a                                                                                                       

 Meditatio: “but the world must know that I love the Father and I do just as the Father has commanded me.”  Jn 14.31a        

Oratio: "O God, Your Son showed us how we are to love.

I remember He showed His love for You by willingly accepting His passion and death for our salvation!   

Grant that I may always remember the greatest love is when  one lays down his or her life for another and to live in accordance with this standard..
                  
 I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the  Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

 Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

 Operatio:  Reflect on "love...do”; love is in the choices we make; it is in our will; doing the will of another for the other’s sake is a supreme act of love and is the very way in which Jesus showed His love for His Father; in prayer seek the grace to put the other ahead of self in my priority of choices so that I may show true love by my actions and not simply by my words.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 15.1-8

4/28/13;

 Lectio: Jn 14.21-26                                                                                           

 Meditatio: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come and make our dwelling with him’.’ Jn 14.23

Oratio: "O God, how kind You are to us!

I remember Your Son told us that both You and He will come and dwell with us if we keep His word.

Grant that I may always love Jesus and show it the way He asks of us.                                              
 I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the  Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

 Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

 Operatio:  Reflect on "dwelling”; to come and live with; to  he with another in a personal way; in the Eucharist Jesus comes and dwells with us; in prayer thank God for being so kind to us and ask for the grace to always keep Jesus’ Word for that is the best way to show my love for Him and His Father.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 14.27-31a     

4/27/13;

 Lectio: Jn 13.31-33a, 34-45                                                                       

 Meditatio: “I [Jesus] give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” Jn 13.34                            

Oratio: "O God, You made it clear as to how You want us to live.              

I remember Jesus declared that we must love one another as He loved us - so simple! So profound! So hard in fact!

Grant that I may always bask in Your love and imitate Jesus and always strive to love the other as he loved us.                  

 I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the  Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

 Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

 Operatio:  Reflect on "love”; seeks the good of the other for the other’s sake and not for what one gets out of it; selfless; unconditional, faithful were the characteristics of Jesus’ love. In prayer thank Jesus for loving us so and seek the grace to love others in imitation of His love so that one day we might realize our deepest longing - heaven!

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 14.21-26

4/24/13;

Lectio: Mk 16.15-20

Meditatio: "But they [disciples] went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs." Mk 16.20

Oratio: "O God, how kindly You treat us!\

I remember Jesus sent His disciples to preach and He confirmed their authority to the people by allowing them to work miraculous signs!

Grant that I may always be aware of the many signs that You have given us that You are at work and want us to believe.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "signs"; miracles, curing the sick, casting out demons; since their time visions of Our Lady and of Our Lord to so many visionaries so that our faith might be strengthened; in prayer thank God for giving us such clear evidence that we should believe what we are taught.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 14 1-6 .

4/20/13;

Lectio: Jn 10.22-30

Meditatio: "Jesus answered them, ‘I told you and you do not believe. The work I do in my Father’s name testify to me’." Jn 10.25

Oratio: "O God, how dense we are at times!

I remember Jesus performed all kinds of miracles - wine to water, feeding of 5000, curing the sick, exorcisms - and the religious elite kept asking Him if He were the Messiah.

Grant that I may always be aware of the many ways in which You continue to manifest Yourself today - in the air we breathe, in the sun that shines, in the love which abounds; and give you praise and thanks for always being there for us.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "work...testify"; effects have causes; extraordinary effects have extraordinary causes; a miracle is an effect whose cause is above human nature; it is a clear sign of the supernatural - or divine; Since Jesus declared that He and the Father are One; his miracles are cleat evidence that He is God - the Holy One whom the Jews were expecting; their Messiah and ours.

In prayer seek the grace to always follow the voice of Jesus which today is so clear in Scripture.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 12.44-50

P.S. I will be at Priest Workshop for a couple of days. I will resume sending Lectio when I return. I will remember all of you in my prayers.

4/21/13;

Lectio: Jn 10.1-10

Meditatio: "So Jesus said again, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep’." Jn 10.7

Oratio: "O God, You sent Your Son to us so that we might more easily come back to You.

I remember Jesus declared that He was the gate for the sheepfold; that i.e., the door through which we enter Your kingdom.

Grant that I may always listen to the \voice of Jesus so that I might find the Gate open to me for that is the ultimate purpose of my journey.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "gate"; the moveable part which opens or closes a room or a sheepfold or the like; Jesus - the gate of the kingdom of God; in prayer ask fo the grace to always follow the voice of Jesus and He will make sure the Gate to the Kingdom of God is always open to me.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 10.22-30

4/20/13;

Lectio: Jn 10.27-30

Meditatio: "My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me." Jn 10.27

Oratio: "O God, You watch over us with loving care.

I remember Your Son declared that we are His sheep and we follow Him because we recognize His voice.

Grant that I may always hear His voice calling to me to live a life of selfless love and I will always bask in His love.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "hear...voice" ; Words of Scripture; the Good News as proclaimed by the Church; the Law of Love which sums up all of Scripture; in prayer seek the grace to love always for that is the way we truly follow Jesus and thank God for sending Jesus to lead us back to Him.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 10.1-10

4/19/13;

Lectio: Jn 6.60-69

Meditatio: "Then many of his disciples who were listening said, ‘This saying is hard, who can accept it’?" Jn 6.60

Oratio: "O God, how mysterious but wonderful are Your ways!

I remember Jesus declared that whoever ate his body and drank His blood would have eternal life and He would raise them up on the last day - many of his followers could not accept this and left Him but it turned out to be true and so great for us.

Grant that I may always rejoice in the Eucharist, the source of Jesus, Himself, and the source of life without end.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "saying...hard" ; Jesus declaring that His followers had to eat his Body and drink His blood - it sounded to them as cannibalism; when it fact it turned out to be the Eucharist and with this hard saying Jesus made it clear that the Eucharist is His very self. In prayer thank Jesus profusely for the greatest gift - Himself- and for the grace to be Eucharist for others by living a life that emulates Jesus’s kindness.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 10.27-30

4/18/13;

Lectio: Jn 6.52-59

Meditatio: "The Jews quarreled among themselves saying, ‘How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat’?" Jn 6.52

Oratio: "O God, how marvelous You provide for us!

I remember Your Son gave us His very self to sustain us in this life and to enable us to live for all eternity!

Grant that I may always receive the Eucharist frequently for Jesus, Himself, is present in a real, personal and loving way to give us His very life.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "flesh...eat"; the consecrated bread becomes Jesus’ very body - it is the daily miracle which St. Thomas Aquinas described as ‘Transubstantiation" which means the substance of the bread becomes Jesus very body while the accidents of the bread, that which you can see or touch remains. In prayer seek the grace to be a frequent communicant so that Jesus’ life and love may be a continual source of nourishment for me.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 6.60-69

4/16/13;

Lectio: Jn 6.35-40

Meditatio: "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him [on] the last day." Jn 6.40

Oratio: "O God, how gracious You are to us!

I remember Your Son declared that it is Your will that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life - so much for so little on our part!’

Grant that I may have the gift of faith always and have a belief in Your Son that seeks to do His will.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "raise him"; resurrected life, an unending life; a life of peace, joy and love with the Lord; in prayer than God for being so kind to us and seek the grace to a have an active faith in Jesus so that I might show a small token of my gratitude for all Jesus does for me.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 6.44-51

4/15/13;

Lectio: Jn 6.30-35

Meditatio: "Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst’." Jn 6. 35

Oratio: "O God, how marvelously You provide for us!

I remember Your Son gave Himself to us so that we would never be hungry or thirstty - What a gift!

’

Grant that I may approach the Eucharist as often as possible for through the Eucharist I receive the very life of Christ - the life that will enable me to live for all eternity - wow!

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "bread of life"; the Eucharist; the consecrated bread and wine, Christ; the source of eternal life; in prayer thank Jesus for coming each day to us in the Eucharist and may we always worthily receive It for in doing so we receive Christ, Himself..

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 6.35-40

4/14/13;

Lectio: Jn 6.22-29

Meditatio: "Jesus answered and said to them [the crowd], ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent’." Jn 6.29

Oratio: "O God, You ask so little of us and give us so much in return!

I remember Your Son said that we do Your work when we believe in Him!

’

Grant that I may be always have an active faith in Your Son - one that is prompted to act in accordance with His will.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "work of God," selfless love, the core of Jesus’ message - love and then do what you wish; in prayer seek the grace to be a selfless lover - one who seeks the good of the other for the other’s sake and not for what one gets out of it. And do so in Jesus’ name.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 6.30-35

4/13/13;

Lectio: Jn 21.1-19

Meditatio: "Jesus came over and took the brad and gave it to them [7 disciples] and in like manner the fish." Jn 21.13

Oratio: "O God, You ways are so very different from our ways and so selfless.

I remember Your resurrected Son cooked and served breakfast for seven of His disciples who were out all night fishing - He should have been their guest instead He was the Host , cook and waiter - what a model of humility and service!

’

Grant that I may be always mindful of my call to follow Your Son and to emulate Him to be best of my abilities.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "took.. gave"; actions that are part of the Eucharistic celebration; let us willing give of ourselves to others for that is the best way of showing our gratitude to Jesus for all He did and gives to us and especially His very self.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 6.22-29

4/12/13;

Lectio: Jn 6,16-21

Meditatio: "...[disciples] embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark and Jesus had not yet come to them." Jn 6.17

Oratio: "O God, You are always there for us even when we are not aware of You.

I remember Jesus’ disciples embarked in their boat to cross the sea at night and ran into rough seas - and it was dark! But, Lo! Jesus came to them walking on the turbulent waters and they were shortly safe at the shore.

’

Grant that I may be always mindful that You are near no matter how dark the times and to turn my fears over to the Lord.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "dark"; night; pitch black; spiritual bleakness, in prayer thank God for the eyes of faith and His loving care so that I may never need to fear the night and especially the dark night of the soul; and then do what He wills.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 21.1-19

4/11/13;

Lectio: Jn 6.1-15

Meditatio: "When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, ‘This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come’." Jn 6.14

Oratio: "O God, How contrary we are at times!

I remember the religious elite saw the same miracles that Your Son performed but that only the people saw them as signs that He is the Prophet to come - how sad for the leaders1

’

Grant that I my pride may never get in the way of recognizing You in others.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "the Prophet"; the One foretold by Moses; the Messiah; the One who was to be the Savior and of the House of David; Jesus. In prayer ask for the grace to always remember the parable of the goats and the sheep and remember that Jesus is present in all.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 6,16-21

4/03/13

Lectio: Lk 24.35-48

Meditatio: "While they were still speaking about this,.he stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace with you’." Lk 24.36

Oratio: "O God, You are so gracious and kind!

I remember Your Son, on that first Easter, appeared to the disciples and greeted them with ‘Peace’!

’

Grant that I may emulate Your Son and be source of comfort to those who are mourning.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "peace"; cessation of war or hostilities; an inner state of ease and calm; seek the grace to make the Prayer of St. Francis mine so that I may be a channel of Christ’s peace to others.

Tomorrow's reading: Jn 21.1-14

P.S. I will heading to Sweden for the baptism of my great granddaughter, Emma. I will resume my lectio when I return. I will remember all of you in my daily prayers.

4/02/13

Lectio: Lk 24.13-35

Meditatio: "Then she two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he [Jesus]was made known to them in the breaking of the bread." Lk 24.35

Oratio: "O God, Your ways are both mysterious and wonderful!

I remember two of Jesus’ disciples did not recognize Jesus that first Easter Sunday as they walked to Emmaus and He joined them on the way but they did at the end of the day when He broke bread with them.

Grant that I may always recognize Jesus in the Eucharist for that is the way He continues to be present to us in a real and personal way every day.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "breaking of the bread"; a rite that Jesus included at the Last Supper; the Holy Eucharist in which Jesus is personally present; in prayer thank Jesus for remaining with us in such a wonderful way until the end of time and seek the grace to be a Eucharistic person and be Christ for others for that is the best way to show our gratitude.

Tomorrow's reading: Lk 24.35-48

4/0113

Lectio: Jn 20.11-18

Meditatio: "When she [Mary Magdalene] had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus.’ Jn 20.14

Oratio: "O God, we do not always see You when You are there.

I remember one of those times occurred the morning of Your Son’s resurrection when Mary Magdalene first saw Your Son and thought He was the gardener.

Grant that I may be attentive to those who come into my life for as Jesus said He is present in the poor, the outcast, the oppressed and we are the losers for failing to recognize Him.

I ask these and all things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with the

Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Contemplatio: Keep silence and remain in recollection for a few minutes.

Operatio: Reflect on "did not know him"; not recognize; Mary Magdalene did not recognize Jesus in His resurrected body but only in His voice - what an experience for Mary! What an experience when we recognize Jesus in the outcasts and the poor! In prayer ask for the grace to see with our souls and we will see Jesus many, many times throughout the day.

Tomorrow's reading: Lk 24.13-35