Brothers+

Fr. Saraweh leads an order dedicated to "the formation of a strong and vibrant community of life centered on the altar and directed to the worship of the living God."

His "Society of Saint John’s primary objective is the deliberate restoration of the liturgy in its fullness" He says "The Acts of the Apostles teach us that, prior to transforming the world, the Apostles were constantly in the temple, praising God. Because God is no longer at the center of our lives—because divine worship is no longer the principal source of our civilization—the Catholic society built by the Apostles now seems ready to crumble. "

He continues "Because it is the reenactment of the mystery of Christ, the liturgy is not only the source of grace and of the Church’s life, but also the end of all we are and all we do—that which requires the most and deserves the best." 

Fr. Saraweh has written a series on Lectio Divina which follows here.
He is attempting to lead not only his order, but also congregation into daily reading of Scripture and meditation.

Charles+
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Divina - Doing God's Word 
     
By Fr. Saraweh

Back in seminary days, we were told that meditation was the single most important act of the day after Holy Mass. It was not an option; it had to be done. But the idea of meditating intimidated me. It was something I had heard about, but it wasn't a part of my spiritual life. I think it's the same for many people today. We imagine monks taking up lotus positions, using slow breathing exercises, and seeking higher states of consciousness, but the eccentricity of these suggestions turns us off. Some of us may have begun some kind of meditation practice way back, but it didn't take. Still others of us just plain lack the discipline to persevere in it, and with today's hectic lifestyle meditation will easily fall by the wayside. So the sad truth is that meditation, as important as it is, is not making the difference it is supposed to in our lives. But there is a solution.

THE MEANING OF LECTIO
I'd like to talk about the title of this article - what ancient Christians considered to be their way of personal prayer or 'meditation' - LECTIO DIVINA[1] . Lectio, of course, includes meditation, but goes beyond it. It is meditation and more. It is a life-altering meditation on Scripture. Unlike a mere intellectual exercise, Lectio is meant to affect the whole of one's being, to personally challenge the reader and bring him or her closer to God. The first step is to have the right attitude toward the Bible - by approaching it as if it were a personal handwritten letter from God Himself to us - and it is! The next step is to respond. We don't generally read a letter from a friend and throw it away; we normally read it again and again and we respond lovingly. That's what was done with the Bible originally. Christians turned over in their minds the message received from the words of Scripture until they were moved to respond to God in a supernatural way. The Bible approached in this way is no longer a dry, intellectual book, but one that contains life-changing values, and these become the challenges we must face from day to day.
 

THE NOURISHMENT OF LECTIO
In the Lord's Prayer, we ask for "our daily bread." This applies not only to the Eucharist but also to the bread of the Word of God. We can compare Lectio to the act of eating. First we place food in our mouths - this is reading or hearing the Scriptures. We then begin to chew the food - this is meditation. Next we swallow - this is prayer of the heart,  where God's word begins to fill us. Finally, digestion takes place. The greatest fruit of Lectio is contemplation, union with God, whereby the soul rests in His loving embrace, where we find ourselves in a state of happiness and peace. 

THE FREEDOM OF LECTIO
Sometimes, a layperson approaches me with a kind of question: "Father, the other day I was thinking about the passage, 'if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also'. As I was driving to work, I thought about it and really tried to understand it. Throughout my day I kept thinking and praying for enlightenment. As I returned home, it began to make some sense and I tried applying it to my life. I kept thinking about the many times I was offended at home or at work and how I behaved, and then how I should have behaved. I thought about how I could have acted like Christ but chose otherwise. What do you think?" Believe it or not, this person has been doing Lectio. He is being spiritually nourished by the word of the Lord. He is reading or thinking the words of Christ as if they were addressed to him, not to mankind in general, and he is responding to the Lord with generosity. To some, his approach lacks a 'methodical' form as found in methods of meditation. Nevertheless, true meditation comes not from method but from the Word of God planted within the soul in a real way, bearing the fruit of a desire to be united to God and to serve Him better.

THE CHALLENGE OF LECTIO
When we read the words of Scripture lovingly and carefully, they soon strike our minds and penetrate our hearts and begin to move us on a level of action. Often we need a considerable time to wrestle with the text, but sooner or later we are clear "what this text means for me." We begin to consider it in the reality of our day-to-day existence and not merely in the abstract . For it is fully understood only when put into practice - when we ourselves become the text - when the Word is made flesh. "For it is not everyone who says, 'Lord, Lord,' who will enter the Kingdom of God, but he who does the will of my Father." When we begin to do the Word of God, only then will we become living icons of Christ, and others will see the Scriptures alive in us. In this way, Lectio becomes a catalyst for sanctity, it becomes a way of continual prayer and a way of life, providing us with a divine energy that will transform our day. 

This is the essence of Lectio, hearing God's Word, doing it, and living in union with Him. I'd like to conclude with a passage from the first chapter of the Epistle of St. James for its great value in understanding Lectio Divina:

Rid yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror but, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:21-25)



 




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