-
Altar of Insomnia: The Transformative Power of Grace (Lectio Divina)
Robert Van Valkenburgh traces the arc from childhood hyper-vigilance to a 4 a.m. moment of insomnia — where the altar of self-made atonement becomes, by grace, the place of surrender. Drawing on St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s bold declaration that she fears only one thing — keeping her own will — this Lectio Divina asks…
-
God Doesn’t Change Our Circumstances. He Changes Our Hearts. (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on John of the Cross’s counsel to live as though only God and yourself were in this world, this Lectio Divina explores why God does not change our circumstances — but changes our hearts. Through the cross, the cry of Gethsemane, and the kenotic pattern of Christ’s self-surrender, this reflection invites us into…
-
The True Self and the False Self: On Identity, Exile, and the Grace That Reveals Us (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on James Finley’s Merton’s Palace of Nowhere, this Lectio Divina explores the relationship between the true self and the false self — how the false self conceals the light of the true self, how Paul’s language of the old and new self illuminates that dynamic, and how it is grace, not effort, that…
-
Awakened by Love: Christ’s Yes, Our Yes, and the Sleep We Leave Behind (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on Thomas Keating’s image of waking from sleep, this Lectio Divina reflects on Christ as the perfect and unwavering yes to the Father — and on how, through Christ joining himself to us, his yes becomes our own. A meditation on spiritual slumber, the dubious comfort of darkness, and the love that gently…
-
The Unending End: On Love, Resurrection, and the Life That Awaits Us (Lectio Divina)
Drawing on Augustine’s vision of eternal life in the City of God, this Easter Sunday Lectio Divina explores what it means that true love is not transactional but transformative — that what we give in love is given back more perfectly in the resurrection, body and spirit made new, even with the wounds this…
-
Captured While Wounded: Finding Christ in Our Suffering (Lectio Divina)
This post explores how our own striving fails to bring lasting peace and fulfillment, leading us instead to encounter God in suffering. It traces the journey from self-reliance to surrender, showing how Christ’s crucifixion reveals the true meaning of suffering and unites us with divine love. The piece invites readers into deeper trust by…
-
Lectio Divina: Why Is Prayer The First Step Towards Transforming A Broken World?
A reflection on Karl Barth’s insight that prayer is the beginning of resistance to the world’s disorder. This devotional explores how prayer transforms hearts, aligns believers with God’s priorities, challenges injustice, and prepares us for faithful action. Includes a reflection question, biblical verse, and a related post on contemplative trust in God.
-
Lectio Divina: Part Of The Whole
Ilia Delio reframes sin not merely as wrongdoing, but as resistance to wholeness and communion. Sin is the refusal to participate in the larger life of God and creation, while spiritual transformation invites us into unity, belonging, and whole-making love.
-
Lectio Divina: Prayer Changes You
This reflection on Richard Rohr’s insight—“Prayer is about changing you, not about changing God”—explores prayer as a transformative practice that reshapes the heart, aligns the soul with God’s will, and deepens spiritual maturity. Rather than attempting to persuade God, prayer becomes a space of surrender, listening, and inner conversion, drawing the believer into greater…
-
Lectio Divina: As God Intended Them
This Lectio Divina reflection invites us to embrace Dostoyevsky’s insight that true love means seeing others as God intended them to be—beloved, whole, and made in divine image. It encourages us to look beyond faults, wounds, and judgments to perceive the sacred goodness within every person. Such vision transforms our relationships and mirrors God’s…