Lectio Divina for the Twenty-ninth Week
in Ordinary Time
We begin our prayer:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Almighty ever-living God,
grant that we may always conform our will to yours
and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart.
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, Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Reading (Lectio)
Read the following Scripture two or three times.
Mark 10:35-45
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus
and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us
whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you
wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant
that in your glory we may sit one at your right and
the other at your left.”
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are
asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be
baptized with the baptism with which I am
baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Jesus said
to them, “The cup that I drink, you will drink, and
with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will
be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not
mine to give but is for those for whom it has been
prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became
indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them
and said to them, “You know that those who are
recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over
them, and their great ones make their authority over
them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather,
whoever wishes to be great among you will be your
servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will
be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come
to be served but to serve and to give his life as a
ransom for many.”
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?
What do you wish me to do for you? What do I want
God to do for me? What needs should I bring to
God in prayer?
The cup that I drink, you will drink. What suffering
and challenges am I facing? How can I pour out my
life for others?
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to
serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
What have I done this week to serve those in need?
What keeps me from serving God more
wholeheartedly?
After a period of silent reflection and/or discussion,
all recite the Lord’s Prayer and the following:
Closing Prayer:
Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD
the earth is full.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those
who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
(From Psalm 33)
Living the Word This Week
How can I make my life a gift for others in charity?
Pray for all deacons in their ministry of word and
charity.
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.