Latest Thoughts
Explore My Reflections
Following the contemplative rhythm of Lectio Divina
Moving from Attentive Reading (Lectio)
To Reflection (Meditatio)
To Prayerful Response (Oratio)
And finally into Silent Resting in God (Contemplatio)
Grappling With Divinity invites a slow unfolding of Scripture, Spiritual Wisdom, and Lived Experience.
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Lectio: To Rest Upon
St. Francis de Sales reminds us that in our misery and weakness, we find the greatest reason to place our trust in God. When we cannot rely on ourselves, we are invited to lean fully on His strength, mercy, and love. True faith grows not in self-sufficiency, but in surrender and dependence on God’s…
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Oratio: Upon The Rock
This reflection by Robert Van Valkenburgh calls us to build our faith on Christ, the unshakable foundation that withstands temptation, suffering, and the storms of life. Unlike worldly desires or shifting sands, faith rooted in the Lord remains steadfast, enduring, and unbreakable.
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Lectio: The Rising Sap
Evelyn Underhill beautifully distinguishes faith, hope, and charity: faith perceives reality, charity loves it, while hope looks forward with love to what will be. Faith is steady and rooted like a great tree, but hope is dynamic—ever growing, like a rising sapling and buds preparing to bloom. This reflection highlights the living movement of…
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Oratio: Facing God
This reflection by Robert Van Valkenburgh reminds us that the face of God is revealed everywhere—in nature’s beauty, in the joy of children, in the vastness of the sky, and in the diversity of humanity, from the rich to the poor, the healthy to the outcast. God’s presence is not only found in what…
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Lectio: All Your Ways
Proverbs 3:5–6 calls believers to place full trust in the Lord, surrendering human understanding to divine wisdom. By acknowledging God in every part of life, He promises to guide and direct our paths with clarity and purpose. A timeless reminder of faith, trust, and reliance on God’s will.
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Oratio: Do Not Forget Me
This heartfelt prayer poem by Robert Van Valkenburgh expresses deep dependence on God in times of fear, loneliness, and spiritual battle. Crying out as a lost lamb among wolves, the writer acknowledges God as protector, light, and strength, pleading not to be forgotten in his hour of need. A moving reflection on faith, trust,…
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Lectio: Deep Listening
Carl McColman reminds us that obedience to God is not about blind submission but about deep listening. Rooted in the Latin meaning of the word, true obedience is mindful attention to God’s voice and direction in our lives. This reflection calls us to embrace spiritual attentiveness, discernment, and a heart open to God’s will.
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Oratio: Embodied Here And Now
This reflection by Robert Van Valkenburgh contemplates the mystery of life, death, and eternity. It acknowledges our return to dust and union with the Creator, while emphasizing the importance of living fully in the present—embodied, broken, and whole—for God and for others. A meditation on mortality, presence, and divine purpose.
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Lectio: Invisible Grace
St. Augustine beautifully describes the essence of a sacrament as “a visible sign of invisible grace.” This timeless truth highlights how the sacraments reveal God’s presence and love in tangible ways, making the unseen grace of Christ accessible to the faithful.
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Oratio: Healing Hands
This reflection by Robert Van Valkenburgh reminds us that we are called to support one another through pain, grief, injustice, and confusion. In a broken world, we are meant to embody Christ’s healing hand, bringing love to the broken places in each other’s hearts. A meditation on compassion, faith, and the mission to be…
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The Yoke We Were Not Meant To Carry: Brother Lawrence and the Grace That Meets Our Powerlessness (Lectio Divina)
What if the surrender you keep circling never comes by trying harder, but only by the trying finally giving out? Brother Lawrence asks for a total trust that sounds simple and costs everything, and this reflection sits with the exhaustion that finally lets God in.
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Owe Nothing But Love: Theodoret of Cyrus on Love as the Fulfilling of the Law (Lectio Divina)
What if the command to love was never a debt you could actually pay off? Theodoret of Cyrus reads Paul’s warning about owing nothing but love and finds something stranger than an obligation — a debt that grows the more it’s paid, rather than shrinking. This reflection sits with what it feels like to carry…
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No Longer Carved in Stone: Augustine of Hippo and Love as God’s One Law (Lectio Divina)
What if the law you can’t seem to keep was never meant to be kept from outside at all? Augustine insists something was written into you long before you ever tried, and failed, to obey a command pressed on you from without.
