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Lectio Divina Reading

July 21, 2005

A Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit and Living Flame, pour into our hearts from the depths of the Trinity the rays of your light. Help us to listen more deeply to the words of scripture you have enflamed. May your holy fire penetrate our hearts and minds so that we in turn may penetrate your words at ever deepening levels of understanding, insight and response. AMEN

THE PRACTICE

The four moments along the circumference of the circle are

  • Read softly aloud the selected passage

  • Reflect in the sense of ruminating

  • Respond spontaneously in prayer

  • Rest in God beyond thoughts and particular acts

The Way of Paradox

Now we can see what kind of importance Eckhart thinks Christ had for us. Christ is of central importance because in him is enacted the central mystery of the union between God and Man. This happens through the Incarnation, which ha a double aspect. On the one hand, God incarnates in the flesh, as Jesus of Nazareth, born into a particular historical situation. This is what we might call the 'outward' aspect of the Incarnation. Far more important, however, in Eckhart's view, is the 'inward' aspect, whereby God enters universal human nature, the transcendent Ground that is common to all human beings wherever they are in space or time. This aspect is more important because it touches us here and now in the deepest core of ourselves, and transforms our lives.

Concepts of Jesus are also concepts of ourselves. If in Jesus there was an' inner' and an 'outer' man, so there must be in us. Redemption, salvation, must take both aspects into account, and we, today, in our own spiritual lives, must take them into account. We experience the 'outward' Incarnation by recalling it, through the Church, the sacraments, the Scriptures, the endeavor to live a virtuous life. By these means the outer man is purified, and is freed from his dependence on external stimuli and conditioning. But there has also to be an encounter with the 'inner' Incarnation, by detachment from the external world and by entry into the Ground of the Soul. This is by far the most important aspect, because it is through this alone that real change, transformation and union with God are achieved. The Incarnation then ceases to be merely a historical event in the past, which is 'recalled' and applied to our outer lives; it becomes a present event, here and now, which transforms our inner lives. Christ is an irresistible force within us, uniting us with God at this very moment. (Chapter 6, The Incarnate Word).

One day God spoke to me and I heard these words, "You won't be overcome." God wants us to pay attention to His words. God wants us to be strong in our certainty in Him always, both in good times and in bad. The Lord loves us, and God so enjoys our company.

God loves being with us and wants us to love Him and enjoy being with him and trust him completely, and all will be well.  Julian of Norwich, Revelations.

Lectio Divina for CP Groups
Contemplative Outreach of Dallas

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