Reflect
Children have the unique ability to read “energy” and the present moment in a way that we as adults sometimes miss out on because we are stuck in our heads or agendas. Yes, we teach children to read words on a page, but maybe they can teach us to read the Word’s activity in our daily lives.
Pray
Children, so intuitive, so receptive and perceptive,
always reading reality as it unfolds before them,
always willing to join the flow of joy or play or love,
as they model presence for us.
Lord, help me read what is rising in my midst
with the presence of a child, with an openness to join
the flow and receive this moment, here, now, as gift.
Act
Lectio Divina has traditionally been a monastic practice that means “sacred reading” as monks read Scripture and ruminate the words like a cow chewing cud. But the living Word is also alive and active beyond and off the page. What does “childlike lectio” mean to you in your day-to-day life? Father Dan Riley, OFM, has a wonderful book called Franciscan Lectio if you would like to learn more about a Franciscan, integrative approach to Lectio Divina.
