Activity 1: Lectio Divina

1. Before beginning, sit up straight but comfortably at your desks. You may close your eyes to help remove distraction. Take a moment to quiet your hearts and prepare for prayer. Say: “Be still, and know that you are in the presence of God.”

2. Lectio: Read aloud the Gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday Mass. Read the words slowly and deliberately, carefully choosing your inflection and tone of voice. Read the Gospel two or three times aloud, to give yourself the opportunity to hear it and choose something that stands out to you.

3. Meditatio: Rhetorically, slowly ask aloud the Focus and Reflection Questions from the Joy of the Gospel to help meditate on the reading. Identify in your minds a word or phrase from the reading that stood out to you. It could be something that you noticed in the reading, something that challenged you, confused you, made you uncomfortable or anxious, something that made you hopeful or comforted you. Whatever you choose, softly to consider what it might mean in your own lives. What is God telling you? What is He asking you to do?

4. Oratio: Take a few minutes to pray quietly on your own. Have a conversation with God and tell Him all that you reflected on in the previous step. Or you may choose to pray a formal prayer silently.

5. Contemplatio: Take a few minutes of silence and allow God to move you and to direct your thoughts and feelings. Try very hard to stop doing and just be.

6. Conclude by praying the Lord’s Prayer. 

*Aim for fifteen to twenty minutes to give yourself enough time for reflection and silence.

Activity 2: Lectio Divina Reflection

Write a three to five sentences describing what the experience of praying Lectio Divina was like for you. Include what word or phrase stood out to you from the reading and, if you are comfortable sharing, why you think so.