Lectio Divina for the Eleventh Week
in Ordinary Time

We begin our prayer:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
O God, strength of those who hope in you,
graciously hear our pleas,
and, since without you mortal frailty can do
nothing,
grant us always the help of your grace,
that in following your commands
we may please you by our resolve and our deeds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
(Collect, Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Reading (Lectio)
Read the following Scripture two or three times.
Mark 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the
kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter
seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and
day and through it all the seed would sprout and
grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land
yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full
grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he
wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”
He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of
God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a
mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is
the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it
is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of
plants and puts forth large branches, so that the
birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many
such parables he spoke the word to them as they
were able to understand it. Without parables he did
not speak to them, but to his own disciples he
explained everything in private.
Meditation (Meditatio)
After the reading, take some time to reflect in
silence on one or more of the following questions:
• What word or words in this passage caught
your attention?
• What in this passage comforted you?
• What in this passage challenged you?
If practicing lectio divina as a family or in a group,
after the reflection time, invite the participants to
share their responses.
Prayer (Oratio)
Read the Scripture passage one more time. Bring to
the Lord the praise, petition, or thanksgiving that
the Word inspires in you.
Contemplation (Contemplatio)
Read the Scripture again, followed by this
reflection:
What conversion of mind, heart, and life is the Lord
asking of me?
The harvest has come. What fruits can I bring to
harvest in my life? How can these fruits serve
God’s kingdom?
To what shall we compare the kingdom of God?
How do I envision God’s kingdom? How can I help
to make the kingdom of God more present?
With many such parables he spoke the word to them
as they were able to understand it. How can I share
God’s word more effectively? How can I grow in
my understanding of all the Church teaches?
After a period of silent reflection and/or discussion,
all recite the Lord’s Prayer and the following:
Closing Prayer:
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night.
The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring how just is the LORD,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong.
(From Psalm 92)
Living the Word This Week
How can I make my life a gift for others in charity?
Pray one of the prayers for creation in paragraph
246 of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’:
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclical
s/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclicalaudato-si.html
Excerpts from the New American Bible, revised edition ©
2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine,
Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright
owner. Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the
Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical
edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with
permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be
reproduced by any means without permission in writing from
the copyright owner.
Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal ©
2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy
Corporation. All rights reserved.

Download: ot-11