Author: Debra Weldon

Lectio Divina is a form of mental prayer. With this form of prayer one reads scripture or another text related to God. Here, the goal is to seek the word or phrase to which the Holy Spirit is directing you. It is hard to describe how I experience the Holy Spirit working within me. For one, I don’t always figure it out. I think this is because I am resisting or distracted sometimes. When I do connect, it feels kind of like like a tugging at the heart or even a flutter. Sometimes, it feels like warmth and peace. It might take you a while to figure it out, but trust the Holy Spirit to help bring you to where he is working.

Let me see if I can provide an example of this form of prayer. Say you are reading the text of the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew’s gospel, and you read” forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us.” You feel a tug on the word “forgive.” From here, you would use this word as a mantra or sit in silence while your mind thinks about the word forgiveness. You may know immediately what aspect of forgiveness He is drawn to your attention, but you might just have to sit with that in prayer for a while. We may not always understand why we felt called to that word or phrase; however, if we have given the Holy Spirit permission to work within us through our prayer time, we know that he is doing what needs to be done. 

The word or phrase may speak to you in a way that is out of context with what you are reading. I wish I could remember an example where this occurred in my own prayer life, but I can’t. I just know that sometimes it’s about the word or phrase, and not about the surrounding text. 

How does one select the text?  There is no right or wrong way; however, that does not keep me from feeling concerned about not finding “the right text” sometimes.  So, I find it beneficial to limit the selection process by using the lectionary of the Catholic Church. I just trust that it is where God is working. Sometimes, I had to wait 10 or 15 minutes while continuing to read or ponder the text before it became clear, but I cannot think of a time where this process did not work, except when I didn’t have the time or patience to wait. Some people use Bible roulette I am throw open the Bible and start reading. You can just start at the beginning of a book, the middle, or the end. You can use the devotional you are reading. The Holy Spirit can speak to us through any text so long as we sit with that text seeking where he is working.

Spend some time with the Holy Spirit today practicing this form of prayer. Invite him in to the text or scripture that you choose. Ask him to show you where he is working. Trust that he is with you and faithful. When you are finished, thank and praise him for working with and you. Do this especially if you did not connect to a word or phrase. It is important to keep in mind that the Holy Spirit is always faithful. We are the ones who sometimes miss the lead, get confused, or otherwise miss the point.

In Him,

Ms. Debra D. Weldon, O.P., MTS

As discussed in my last blog, mental prayer is a place where one dialogs with God. There are many ways of engaging in mental prayer. The key is to use one’s intellect to ponder questions of God. The main ingredient for a successful mental prayer session, in my opinion, is to invite  the Holy Spirit in to the prayer session. If you think about it, God gave up his power to override our will. Thus, I have come to believe that it is incredibly important, to re-permit him to actively work in our lives. He can work where we implicitly allow him to. I just believe that giving him an express invitation is an important part of prayer and daily living as a Christian.

Mental prayer is, for the most part, synonymous with meditation. However, there are many forms of meditation, and I have found it useful to describe different processes with specific words. Some of my terminology will match what you might have heard others use, but I might use different words to help distinguish between the various processes. 

Today, I will cover meditation. By meditation, I am specifically talking about entering into Biblical scenes and experiencing them yourselves. In theory, you can do this type of prayer with any text in the Bible, but I find it most successful when entering active scenes. At the same time, I have found wisdom in becoming inanimate objects.  For example, one day, I was meditating on the destruction of Jerusalem after the Babylonian invasion. Most of the Israelites had been exiled to Babylon, and I found myself picturing the rubble of Jerusalem. I was in a period of personal desolation. I do not recall what was on my mind at the time, but I found myself in the pieces of rubble on the ground. I sat with this image for a period of time as I prayed with the Holy Spirit.  As we talked about my heartache and sense of hopelessness, I looked up from my pile of rubble, and saw the Israelites returning from Babylon to rebuild the city. I cannot say, without lying, that my meditation always has such amazing results, but I share this example because I think it is important to know that you can place yourself in inanimate objects and have successful prayer sessions.

Spend some time today entering into a scene of the Bible. Open your prayer by inviting the Holy Spirit into your session. The next step is to pick a scene for your meditation. You can select a scene from your memory or pick up the book and flip through it until you find one that tugs at your heart. Keep looking for that tug on your heart as you go through the process of meditation. In this way, you will find where the Holy Spirit is navigating. You may not find it the first time or two. It may take practice. Just trust that the Holy Spirit wants to have a one-on-one encounter with you. Sometimes, when I cannot connect, I change the scene a bit or change my approach. Sometimes this helps me find the that tug that I missed the first time around, but not always. As you close your prayer, thank God for his participation, even if you did not have a tangible encounter with him. God is always present and always working. As you wrap up your prayer, I encourage you to spend at least five minutes in silence. It is in the silence where we allow the Holy Spirit to start moving us towards contemplation. It may take a day, 50 years, or even 100 years, but it is in the silence that we allow the Holy Spirit to move us in this direction.

If you are not connecting with the  Holy Spirit after a few attempts, feel free to reach out to me on FaceBook messenger. I’m happy to help you troubleshoot the process.

In Him,

Ms. Debra D. Weldon, O.P., MTS

There are generally three different types of prayer. The first form of prayer is typically called vocal prayer. These types of prayers include our general conversations with God and our rote prayers like the Our Father (aka Lord’s Prayer).  To some extent, vocal prayer is the prayer for beginners. At the same time, it is the prayer of our entire life. It is in these prayers that we praise God, thank God, and ask God for the things we think we want or need. 

As Christians continue in their faith walk, they are often called towards mental prayer. Mental prayer is different from vocal prayer in that it seeks deeper wisdom of God’s truth.  Mental prayer includes some form of using one’s brain to ponder God’s revelation just as Mary often pondered “these things” in her heart. Lk 2:19.  This form of prayer is more a dialogue with God than vocal prayer.  It is in this place of mental prayer that we grow in wisdom. We grow more aware of God and his presence in our lives. We start understanding the world from God’s perspective in a more holistic way.

The third type of prayer is called contemplation. Some treat the term contemplation equally with meditation. However, I will distinguish it as a type of prayer where God monologues in us. Contemplation is not a place where we can choose to go. It is a place where God leads us as we progress in mental prayer. 

Spend some time with the Holy Spirit today contemplating your prayer life. What forms of prayer do you use? Ask the Holy Spirit if he is calling you to a deeper form of prayer today? In future blogs, we will get into more details on the various forms of meditation that can be used to progress in mental prayer. In the meantime, spend some time today considering these three forms of prayer, and praying about where the Holy Spirit might be leading you.

In Him,

Ms. Debra D. Weldon, O.P., JD, MTS

This morning, as I concluded my prayer time, a large bird landed in my backyard. As I watched the bird, a second one walked out from behind a bush. I had about a 20 minute period of watching the birds and making sure all three cats shared in the joy. 

After the birds disappeared to the other side of the house, I pondered God’s blessings. How many things do we take for granted each and every day? How often do we live in our minds, lost in thought, our attention drawn to some TV show, movie, or game. How often do we miss all the amazing beauty that surrounds us. 

I imagine that when we spend time living in the moment, we are rewarded with many small blessings throughout our day. I don’t know about you, but I spent a lot of time in my head. The self-isolation of the last few months hasn’t helped. So today I make a commitment to try and live more in the moment; to try and stay in the present. In the Bible, Jesus tells us that he came to help us live life to the fullist, and I think  this fullness begins by living more fully in the present each and every day.

Spent some time today with the Holy Spirit seeking God’s blessings in the little things. Ask him  to help you stay in the present, to help you be more aware of his blessings throughout the day. Spend some time asking God’s forgiveness for all the blessings you have overlooked, and thank him for his faithfulness and his goodness. 

In Him, 

Ms. Debra D Weldon, O.P., MTS

Yesterday, we pondered the greatness of God. Today, let us focus on God’s immanence. Immanence has to do with God’s presence among us. In Matthew’s gospel, he begins and ends with the concept of God’s presence. In the first chapter, we are told that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. In the conclusion, Jesus tells us that he is with us to the end of time. This is called an inclusio, which is like bookends.  It was a way in which an ancient author highlighted important concepts within their writings.  

I think it is common for us to picture God as some Zeus-like figure somewhere in the heavens. It is easy to think of him as distant and remote. However, God is with us. He endeavors to live our lives with us. He wants to be a part of our day-to-day existence. 

He is with us in the presence of the Holy Spirit. We receive the Holy Spirit at baptism. However, I wonder how many of us have actually learned what it means to have the Holy Spirit within us. I am a middle-aged cradle Catholic, and I am just starting to understand the glory and magnificence of God within me. I am just starting to see what it means to trust in God; what it means to live life in the Spirit. It is such an amazing adventure! In some respects, it is like finding the missing piece within. 

Now that I understand better, yet imperfectly, this living presence of God within me, I want to proclaim it from the mountain tops. I want everyone to understand the glory and beauty of God living within us.  However, this is a relationship that I can only preach for it is the Holy Spirit who leads each and everyone of us on a unique adventure to the center of our being, and the center of the universe.

Spend some time today seeking the presents of God within you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal himself to you. Ask him how you can go deeper in this trusting symbiotic relationship of God and human.  This relationship is different than that of Jesus and the father. They were one, but according to John’s Gospel, we are to spend our lives learning to become one as Jesus and the father are one. Ponder today what this oneness should look like. Ask him how you can live more fully in relationship with him.  

In Him,

Ms. Debra D. Weldon, O.P., MTS

There are many wonderful characteristics of God. This morning, I want to talk about his greatness.  He is transcendent. He is otherworldly. He is beyond our comprehension and our capacity for words. He is all-powerful and all-knowing. We could spend our lives just pondering his greatness, and never come close to capturing all that is amazing about our God. 

This all seems a bit obvious. So, why am I mentioning it?  It is my opinion that many of us try and bring God down to our level. In so doing, we become confused when his way is outside of our comprehension.  We become frustrated in our faith walk when things don’t go the way we planned. We begin to question God and to wonder whether he is with us; whether he cares about us. 

It is in pondering God’s greatness that we recall that he has a plan to bring each of us ever closer to him.  It is in realizing that he is beyond our comprehension that we begin to let go of our doubts and fears.  It is in learning to trust in his greatness and in his divine plan that we learn to walk with greater peace in our uncertain and ever changing world. 

Spend some time today pondering the greatness of God. Sit with him and share with him your confusion, your longing, your seemingly unfulfilled wants and/or needs.  Invite him into your day, and ask him to help you find peace. Spend some time thanking him for his goodness and mercy, and trust that despite the upheaval in modern society, he is working to bring us all into his glorious presence. 

In Him,

Ms. Debra D. Weldon, O.P., MTS

Do people really think that this hostility towards people with different views will change that persons views? I have great compassion and sympathy for the issues of modern times, but I am just aghast at the way some people are going about trying to make changes.  

Americans live in a country built on principles of human dignity.  The living out of this ideal has been imperfect, and needs to continue to change.  Every generation sees new ways of ferreting out oppression and growing in respect of each human.  However, it seems like the concept of the present is to evolve humanity to the next level in one fell swoop. It doesn’t work like that.  

At the same time, I do see how the problems with previous generations were a different form of modern efforts. The problem of founding a country on Judeo-Christian morals oppressed some people “for their own good.”   This was wrong, but this was the understanding of evolving wisdom of respecting dignity.  We cannot judge those who lived in a different era, but we can learn from them. 

God made each one of us unique and special. We all have faults and strengths. I pray we learn from past eras, and work to find a more healthy way of respecting where people are in their beliefs and understandings, and that through our attempts to respect each person’s dignity, that this loving concern for others will help each of us grow past our biases and less than healthy treatment of each other. 

You are all in my prayers as we survive the turmoil of these crazy times. 

In Him,

dw

What does it mean to be “catholic”?  Let’s start with the basics.  The word “catholic” is an adjective, and thus, in the title of this document, it describes the noun “I.”  It is a word that says I believe what the Catholic Church believes.  So, when I identify myself as Catholic, I am saying that I believe in the credal formations, which state that God is one in three persons.  It means that I believe Jesus the Christ is physically present in the Eucharistic meal. It means that Jesus the Christ was the son of God, born of a virgin.  He walked this earth, and lived a human life. He forgave sins and healed the sick. He was crucified, died, buried, and rose from the dead on the third day.  It means that I substantially subscribe to the content included in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC). 

At the same time, this does not mean that I go through life without questioning church teachings.  God made us in his image, and many believe that this includes our rational minds, our ability to ponder the mysteries of this world, and to make conclusions regarding these things. Our minds are a path to truth.  The Bible teaches us that the Truth is in our hearts. Jer 31:33.  It tells us that the Spirit of Truth will teach us all things.  Jn 16:13. So how can these scripture quotes be true in light of the concept of the CCC as an external source of my understanding of truth? 

As one who is attempting the contemplative life as a lay person, I have had some experiences that shape and form my understanding of these things.  For instance, I have sought the law in my heart. I have worked to listen to the Holy Spirt, and attempted to figure out this internal, yet objective truth.  In my experiences, I have learned that I hear the Spirit through my personal lenses, the way in which I have learned to view the world.  Plus, I have learned that God’s revelation is transcendent. It is beyond me in its totality, but not fully beyond my grasp.  I have learned that I can hear clearly, but imperfectly.  I have found that having the external truth compiled over 2,000 years of pondering God’s mystery by some very holy saints enhances my ability to more perfectly understand the revelations of God.  In fact, there is nothing more fulfilling than finding internal objective truth, and confirming my understanding against the external objective truth, and finding that they resonate with each other. 

In understanding how God works within us, we can see that he calls us to go deeper in this relationship, to move forward with some level of excitement in pursuing one’s unique journey with God, and understanding that this journey should resonate strongly with that which is categorized in the CCC.  In so doing, one can attain a richer understanding of the adjective that one uses to describe themselves as Catholic. 

Spend some time today with the Holy Spirit pondering what adjective describes you in regards to your religious beliefs.  Does it still fit or have you changed such that the adjective no longer describes you? If so, prayerfully ponder which adjective best tells the world what you believe and stand for.  

Ms. Debra D. Weldon, O.P., J.D., M.T.S.