Lectio Divina for the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
We begin our prayer:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Grant us, O Lord, we pray,
that the course of our world
may be directed by your peaceful rule
and that your Church may rejoice,
untroubled in her devotion.
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, Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading (Lectio)
Read the following Scripture two or three times.
Luke 6:39-45
Jesus told his disciples a parable, “Can a blind person
guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No
disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained,
every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you
notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not
perceive the wooden beam in your own? How can you
say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter
in your eye,’ when you do not even notice the wooden
beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove the
wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see
clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye.
“A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten
tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own
fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes, nor
do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out
of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but
an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for
from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”
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?
When fully trained, every disciple will be like his
teacher. What teachers have helped to shape my
faith? How can I become more like Jesus?
Remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then
you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your
brother’s eye. What beam do I need to remove from
my eye? How can I learn to see my brothers and
sisters with the eyes of faith?
For every tree is known by its own fruit. By what
fruit am I known? What spiritual fruits do I wish to
cultivate in my life?
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?
Commit to some time for spiritual reading (the
Bible, the Lives of the Saints, the Catechism, papal
documents, etc.) each day during Lent.
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.