Lectio Divina Scripture Passages

[Theosis]

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ.

I am reaching out to see which scripture passages you would like to prayerfully enjoy some Lectio Divina reading/meditation on?

Let me know in the comments

 

[aroosi]

1 Corinthians 13

 

[Theosis]

With God’s help, I will offer a brief Lectio Divina:

We know that God is Love (1 John 4:8&16), that the Holy Spirit given to us is a Spirit of Love… of divine love surpassing all we can understand. We have such an intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit given to us, that He never ceases to communicate the Love of the Trinity within us whose temple we have become (1 Cor 6:19).

If I have been given lofty divine gifts of speaking in “angelic tongues” or with an irresistible wisdom so as to attract large crowds and move them like mountains so as to be given praise by man, it is worthless and not worth any merit if I do not speak under the inspiration of the love of God in the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 13:1-3). It will be as if I was a “clashing cymbal” or “resounding gong” before the Lord. I will be counted as worth nothing in His sight.

It is in an immature heart whose heart works without love (1 Cor 13:11). A childish person works out of fear… anything he does will be work completed “partially.” We understand that in God’s divine love “there is no fear… but [that] perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). One who fears has yet to become a “man,” fully mature in Christ Jesus… he has yet to shine and bring the presence of “Jesus Christ come in full stature” (Eph 4:13). For one under the law is one under fear, as Saint Paul says, “For the law produces wrath” (Rom 4:15) and Saint John testifies to this as we mentioned above, saying “fear has to do with punishment.”

Yet, we have hope that is set before us in Christ Jesus. We have hope to live, die and be raised in Him on the last day. We have the glorious hope to be co-heirs of His Glory confirmed by the voice in the shining cloud on Tabor. So now, in the Spirit of God Most High, in order to truly be inspired by Him insofar as is possible in this life, our “tongues” should “cease” and our “knowledge,” that is, our discursive reasoning (our intellectual powers), should be brought to no-thing so as to sit in the shining cloud of His Presence. “We know partially and we prophesy partially” (1 Cor 13:9) because the “perfect” deification has yet to come until we “see Him as He is” and “face to face” in Paradise and thus divinely “know as we are known;” this hope is based on the power and will of God in Christ which “makes us pure” (1 John 3:2; 1 Cor 13:12).

This perfection in love is thus begun now through faith in Christ. It is given to us in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Most Holy Eucharist so that we may be one in divine Love, in Christ, and “know” the unutterable Name (John 17:21). Thus, if we are truly “living and moving and [consciously aware] of our being” in God, we will be as His children and live eternal life, in Christ Jesus, “keep [His] commandments” and thus be, as if without effort, “patient” and “kind…” we will not be jealous, pompous, inflated, rude, self seeking, quick tempered etc and endure to the end (Acts 17:28; John 14:15-18; 1 Cor 13:4-7).

 

[aroosi]

Thank you!

 

[Theosis]

Praised be Jesus Christ!

 

[Theosis]

Thank you for your prayers and for suggesting a great passage!

Glory to God in the highest!

 

[Theosis]

If anyone else has a Scripture passage, or even just a verse they’d like to prayerfully reflect upon through Lectio Divina, let us know!

 

[porthos11]

Usually the Mass readings of the day.

 

[Theosis]

I’m prayerfully considering writing a book in Lectio Divina through the vein of the daily readings.

I’m hopeful that some here may have specific stories or verses etc that they enjoy personally and to see which ones are most popular.

 

[porthos11]

I think Lectio is best done with variety so as not to get fixated on a favourite passage but to let God speak, even through uncomfortable ones. The Mass readings are a good way to do this.

 

[Theosis]

I do agree; it’s to allow God to work in and through us and others.

However, many Saints have reminded us that God is present in the written word and that the Sacred Scriptures are like the human clothing upon the divine word. So one must strip it down to get deeply into the heart of it… to be aware of God within it. Often we read a passage and receive it in a way according to our state at the time and later read the same passage and thus receive it again a bit differently; we can see something we didn’t before.

I also know some people feel very drawn to specific verses or stories etc and thus it’s always nice to allow others to open up to the Scared Scriptures and go deeper in them; to see them anew. As you know, all the Scriptures are God’s word and thus unified in Him.