Lectio Divina

If you're looking for a "quick fix" to your prayer life, here it is!  I began praying Lectio Divina, a "divine reading" of Scripture, 2 months ago and it has had a tremendous impact on how I pray each day.   Best of all, it's a simple 4-step process, which makes it easy to remember: 1) Read 2) Meditate 3) Pray 4) Contemplate.



It's had so much effect on my life, I decided to share it with the midshipmen in my Bible studies.  Last Wednesday, I had them pray Lectio Divina over the Passion of Christ in Luke's Gospel and they had some awesome insights!  Each guy was assigned his own section of the reading so, as we walked through the narrative, I had each guy share the insight he received with the group... it was a powerful examination of Christ's journey to the Cross.

Here are a few of their reflections:

Immediately after Peter denies Jesus the third time, "the Lord turned and looked at Peter" (Lk 22:61).  Karl Knight, a junior, mentioned how he had read this section many times before but had never noticed this line.  He was explaining how he just envisioned what Jesus' "look" would have been like... pure sadness.  Karl talked a lot about how painful it must have been to see Jesus' sadness and how sad he must be whenever we deny him.

Luke Neitzke, a sophmore, meditated on Jesus being sentenced to death by Pilate.  He spoke about how often we condemn Christ to death when we fail to stand up for our beliefs.  Pilate told the people he was going to let Jesus go several times but they continued to shout for Him to be crucified.  "And their voices prevailed." (Lk 23:23)  Pilate caved... and we cave at times too.

John McGlynn, another sophmore, is one of those guys who really wrestles with faith and is always trying to get to the bottom of things.  He meditated on Jesus' crucifixion and was really moved by the inscription upon the Cross, which read, "This is the King of the Jews".  John shared how he is always looking for answers to his faith but has been looking in all the wrong places... It's so obvious: "This is the King of the Jews!"

Braveheat Night

30 midshipmen came pouring into our house Saturday for an awesome Men's Night celebration.  We chowed down on tons of cheap stew, with loaves of bread in-hand; only to wash it all down with IBC root beer.  Then, inn an attempt to make Braveheart "4-D", several of the guys put on blue face paint and we all roared as the battles raged on! 

The movie was a huge success and after the movie finished, we spent time just hanging out until they had to return to the Naval Academy.  I had such a blast bringing one of my favorite college traditions alive at the Academy.  Now I just have to come up with something for the next MAN NIGHT....

Any ideas?

ROAD TRIP!

We were on a mission!  Dave Guerin, one of the mids, is dating a girl at Franciscan University (my Alma Mater); so we grabbed a couple other midshipmen (John and Alexander) and made our way to reunite the two "love birds".

This gave me an AWESOME opportunity to get some good, quality time with the guys.  We had a blast driving to Ohio and conversation never ran dry.  Upon our arrival, I introduced the fellas to a bunch of my college friends.  After grabbing a bite to eat, we went into Pittsburgh for a night of festivities at Hofbrauhaus, a German styled brewery.  We danced the night away as the band played some upbeat tunes and traditional polka.  It was such a blast!

The next day we went to a packed 10:30 Mass on campus and then went out to our favorite morning brunch spot, State-Line.  Super cheap and very delicious.  I'm continually amazed by midshipmen and their appetites... definitely a "miraculous" experience.  Logically, food was followed by an excellent nap.

We woke up, worked out, and then ate dinner with Josh & Maggie Sweeney, which was a great opportunity for the guys to witness their beautiful, new marriage.  Josh is one of my closest friends and it meant a lot to spend time with him.  Finally, to top it all off,  the guys went swing-dancing with all the Franciscan girls :)  For some reason, they really enjoyed that!

Monday rolled around and it was time to depart, it was time to finish our adventure!  The ride home went smoothly and the trip was a great success.  It was a packed weekend but I sure did love spending time with the guys.  There's just something about a road-trip that brings people together!

Exodus and the US Government Today

Ever wondered what we talk about in Bible studies?  Well, there are some things that you'll never know (not bad things, just confidential).  BUT, I do want to give you a taste of our last topic of conversation because it's important.

We spent some time in the book of Exodus, with Moses, and found some similarities between the Egyptians and the United States today.  For instance, when the Israelites were oppressed by Pharaoh, he didn't "know" (yadah in Hebrew) about YAHWEH.  This Hebrew word means more than simply "knowing"; it actually signifies an intimate relationship.  I.E. when Adam "knew" (yadah) Eve, she conceived a son (Gen 4:1).  Is this why boys shouldn't get to know girls?  No.. well, at least not in this sense of the word.

How does this relate to today?  Well, our US government definitely does not "know" or recognize our God like it used to.  More than ever, faith is seen as an obstacle to our government's societal and economic goals.  The government has stepped over the line which rightly divides church and state.  For instance, the Catholic church believes contraception is intrinsically immoral but the government is now trying to force Catholic institutions to provide birth control and other contraceptives to their employees.  How would you feel being forced to do something you believe is immoral?  Is this really happening in the Land of the Free? 

Thus, from a Catholic perspective,  the government has lost sight of God and all that He truly desires for his people.  We have to fight against this BUT we must also examine our own consciences!  Don't we also push God aside when loving Him isn't so "convenient" any more?  Aren't we too guilty of picking and choosing when to recognize God's loving presence in our lives?  Do not be afraid!  I say this to you and to myself!  God is Love and all that He wills is Love!  He knows what's best and wants to give it to us.  Let's ask for forgiveness for when we have pushed Him aside and begin anew to follow him faithfully.  Jesus, I trust in you, I trust in your love for me, and I trust in the things you have in store for my life.