Prayerfulness & ‘Lectio Divina’

As the long summer days grow shorter, we are aware that the season will soon be changing. Changes always stirs a variety of emotions—joy, anxiety, hope, fear, and excitement. It is in such times that the virtue of prayerfulness rises to the surface and we may feel the need for something more. Prayerfulness is being still, listening, being willing to talk to God as a friend. This stillness helps us to be more focused as we accept the daily challenges and offer all in an act of praise and worship to Him, who “holds together all creation” (Col. 1:17).

 When I was a child, I had a fear of the world ending and being “left behind.” This fear was fueled by a song we sang at the weekly prayer services at my Christian school. My parents quickly grew weary of me constantly being at their side. After much probing, my mom finally pulled it out of me. Since neither of my parents were religious, they sought the advice of our neighbor who suggested we meet with a Presbyterian pastor. His counsel was the first step of my journey to becoming a Christian. 

He recommended that I read the Bible whenever I felt the fear and anxiety. My mom took me to purchase my very first Bible which stayed next to my bed. I did as the pastor suggested and it worked! Reading the Word of God soothed my fears and I soon experienced an inner peace that can only come from God.

This encounter with reading the Bible is one of the reasons why I have made an intentional effort to make Lectio Divina more accessible to youth and adults. The ancient practice of prayerful reading Scripture has been used for centuries. Therefore, I encourage you to purposely cultivate the virtue of prayerfulness by reading the Scriptures. In time, you too, will experience an inner peace and perhaps no longer fear being ‘”left behind.”

To learn more, I invite to watch this interview with Dr. Mary Healy

What’s New:

As we focus on prayerfulness and Lectio Divina, we want to introduce our upcoming releases—Who is the Holy Spirit? and The Jesse Tree Advent Journal. 

Who is the Holy Spirit? was first published for the Catholic Youth Summer Camp at Camp Damascus and after numerous requests from teachers and catechists, we decided to make it available for everyone. It is a perfect supplement to any confirmation preparation or just a great refresher on the Holy Spirit.

After many requests for a Jesse Tree Advent Journal, we are happy to announce we have begun production and it will be released in October. More information to come regarding preorders.