“Reading and Meditating on God’s Holy Word”

Our Ash Wednesday liturgy invites us to experience Lent in many ways, among them “reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” Entering scripture takes us into our sacred story. We encounter God’s grand narrative of salvation and find deep resonances with our own lives.

The ancient practice of meditating on scripture, known as Lectio Divina, has become especially important for me this year. I am praying through spiritual exercises on Romans and the Book of Jeremiah. Both offerings challenge me to engage in another of the Lenten invitations: unflinching self-examination.

In his meditations on Jeremiah, Carlo Maria Martini writes: "The lectio divina lets us walk through the meadows of Scripture, allowing us to string pearl after pearl so that these jewel-like words mutually reinforce each other and help us to have the sense of God’s world and to enter into the mystery of his word."

All of this is wonderful and, dare I say, fun. I love reading and studying God’s Word. But we also should not lose sight of our overarching purpose. The Trappist Monks of St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts, offer this reminder: “Indeed, all of our attempts at Lenten observance whether fasting, almsgiving, or efforts to make more time for prayer are valid, useful and truly Gospel-driven only if they lead to greater love for Christ and for all the members of his Body."

May God bless you with a holy Lent. And I invite you to attend our Scholars on Scripture series on March 10, 17, and 24, as the Rev. Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles presents a master class on the Gospel of John.

Grace and peace,

Fr. Dion

The Rev. M. Dion Thompson, Senior Associate