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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Oratio: Your Fruits
Lord Jesusgraft my will to yoursthat I may bear the fruitsof the spiritin your gracein your lovein your namefor your sakeand the sakeof those who may know youthrough your fruits in me ~Robert Van Valkenburgh
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Lectio: The Peace of God
“We’re being called to be a non-violent, safe, protective person – honoring the wholeness of life, and the mystery of life, and the happiness of life – and then when suffering does occur, we’re to do our best to lessen it, and if possible remove it, but in an inner peace, not dependent on…
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Scriptio: An Awakening At The Playground
I walked my daughter and her cousins to the playground this afternoon. While they played, I sat on a bench and read Holy Longing: The Search for a Christian Spirituality by Ronald Rolheiser, a book that my advisor recommended I read prior to starting my master’s degree this coming fall. As I read, they…
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Oratio: Back To You
Help me Lordto love youas you have loved meyou have neverstopped seeking meyou have pursued meto the gates of helljust to bring meback to youmay I seek you Lordas you have sought memay I follow you Lordlead me to your lost sheepthat I may guide themback to you ~Robert Van Valkenburgh
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Lectio: To Each Other
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~Mother Teresa
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Scriptio: In This Graced Moment
As I walked into my home tonight, carrying in a bag of groceries after taking my wife’s car to get a tire changed, I looked down and noticed the freshly cut grass. Something about it struck me and made me pause. It was strangely beautiful and breathtaking, at least in this moment. I then…
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Oratio: Named By God
I am notwho you say I amnor am Iwho I fearor fancy myselfto beonly Godgets to name mefor only He knew mebefore He formed mein my mother’s womb ~Robert Van Valkenburgh
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Lectio: The Joining Prayer
Heavenly Father, please join my prayers with your prayers. Into your hands I commend my spirit. Thy will, not mine, be done.* ~Anonymous *Originally taught to me by my spiritual director as: God, please join my prayers for this person with your prayers for this person.
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Scriptio: Love Period
This evening I had to have a serious conversation with my daughter. She was crying and asked me whether she was good enough at an activity she does or whether she should quit. My first question was, “Do you want to quit?” She said, “No.” I asked her, “Do you enjoy doing it?” “Yes,”…
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Oratio: Shared Suffering
The Lord wants usto share our sufferingto invite othersinto our desolationfor where two or moreare gatheredin His nameHe is thereand it is not goodfor us to be alone ~Robert Van Valkenburgh
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The Calm We Cannot Make: St. John Chrysostom on Tears, Confession, and Peace (Lectio Divina)
What if the peace you keep trying to manufacture was never yours to make? St. John Chrysostom describes the calm that follows tears the way a violent storm gives way to stillness, and this reflection sits with the ache of falling short of the peace Christ asks us to carry — and the distance between…
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Whitewashed and Withholding: Origen on the Mercy We Refuse to Give (Lectio Divina)
What if the reconciliation you keep postponing is the very thing standing between you and the God you’re trying to reach? Origen names a righteousness that’s dead on arrival — polished outside, hollow within — and this reflection sits with the mercy we’d rather hoard than pass on, and the depths waiting for those who…
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Before We Cry Out: Julian of Norwich and the Prayer God Prays in Us (Lectio Divina)
What if the prayer you’ve been struggling to find words for was already being prayed before you knew how to ask? Julian of Norwich names a goodness that does not wait for the right words, the right posture, or even the right understanding of what is happening — it comes down to meet us in…
