spiritual growth

  • Oratio: Every Season

    Oratio: Every Season

    In this heartfelt oratio divina, Robert Van Valkenburgh reflects on the Lord’s faithfulness, wisdom, and mercy throughout life’s seasons. He shares how God’s presence assures us that storms and rainy days are temporary and serve a deeper purpose. This reflection highlights the transformative understanding that even in suffering, God’s love is ever-present, teaching us…

  • Lectio: Gate Of Heaven

    Lectio: Gate Of Heaven

    This profound Lectio Divina based on James Finley’s insight highlights the spiritual significance of acknowledging our poverty before God. By accepting our limitations and weaknesses, we open ourselves to God’s grace, discovering that this humility is the very gateway to heaven. This reflection encourages believers to embrace their dependence on God, recognizing it as…

  • Lectio: We Are Kept

    Lectio: We Are Kept

    In this comforting Lectio Divina, Julian of Norwich reflects on the notion that God allows us to fall, yet in His infinite love, might, and wisdom, He sustains us. This reflection sheds light on the divine purpose behind our struggles, assuring us that even in our failures, we remain held by God’s grace. It…

  • Lectio: Faith Hope Love

    Lectio: Faith Hope Love

    Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection offers a profound reflection on the transformative power of the theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. This Lectio Divina explores how each virtue propels believers toward the realm of possibilities, with love being the greatest. However, it is through the consistent practice and perseverance in these virtues that one…

  • Lectio: Expanding Our Hearts

    Lectio: Expanding Our Hearts

    Explore the profound reflection by Jean-Pierre de Caussade, which likens the will of God to an infinite ocean, brimming with mystery and grace. This piece emphasizes that while God’s will is boundless, our capacity to embrace it depends on the expansion of our hearts through faith, confidence, and love. Through nurturing these virtues, we…

  • Lectio: Turn From Impermanence

    Lectio: Turn From Impermanence

    Discover the essence of “The Cloud of Unknowing” through the practice of Lectio Divina. This spiritual exercise invites us to trust unwaveringly in the divine purpose behind every event, redirecting our focus from transient worldly matters to a deeper union with God. Let go of the impermanent and embrace the eternal presence and wisdom…

  • Lectio: Love Begets

    Lectio: Love Begets

    In this reflection on the words of St. John of the Cross, we encounter the transforming power of divine love — a love that shapes the soul into the likeness of the One it adores. True love draws the heart closer to God, conforming our thoughts, desires, and actions to His perfect will. As…

  • Lectio: Trust God’s Mercy

    Lectio: Trust God’s Mercy

    Teresa of Avila teaches that the spiritual life is grounded in trusting God’s mercy above our own limited judgment. This Lectio Divina insight calls believers to humility, surrender, and confidence in God’s infinite compassion rather than on self-reliance.

  • Oratio: Written On Our Hearts

    Oratio: Written On Our Hearts

    This reflection by Robert Van Valkenburgh reminds us that the Word of God is not just written in scripture but inscribed on our hearts with the ink of love. It is revealed through grace, deepened in silence and humility, and expressed in mercy and goodness toward all creation. At its core, God’s Word is…

  • Oratio: Upon The Rock

    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.