Tag: God’s Word

To Rise Up

Published on by KateLeave a comment

Jesus is Risen! Alleluia!

For Lent this year I tried to spend time every day reading through the Gospels with my Word on Fire Bible. This Bible is gorgeous and full of so much goodness. I really appreciate how Bishop Barron and his team incorporated reflections, explanations, word study, art, even poetry, to accompany the Gospel text. I enjoyed slowing down and taking my time to read everything on each page.

While the takeaways were many and I hope to write about more of them, for this Easter Day one thing in particular stayed with me. Early in Matthew’s Gospel he describes his calling to follow Jesus. Matthew was sitting at his collections table, most likely surrounded by others. Jesus singles Matthew out of the crowd and simply says, “Follow me.”

Matthew says he, “rose up and followed him.” End scene. There isn’t much in these few words. However, there is so much when you know ancient languages! I do not so I, like so many of us, rely on others to illuminate what is hidden in our English translation. When Matthew says he “rose up” or in some translations, “got up,” the specific verb he uses is anastas. Not so coincidentally, when we fast forward to Jesus’ Resurrection, the same root word (this time anastasis) is used by Gospel writers to describe the phenomenon.

Jesus, as we know, rose up transformed. His disciples did not always immediately recognize Him. He could walk through walls and locked doors. He was Jesus, yet He was fundamentally changed, something new that had never before been in the world. Looking back over his life, Matthew recognized that his own call by the Lord marked something significant. He had been changed to the core in that moment, a complete transformation from one man to a new man. A resurrection with a little “r” that points toward Jesus’ redemptive Resurrection which transformed the world.

How much of the Bible do we miss in these little word nuances? I am so thankful for the Bible editors and translators who take the time to shed light on the text for those of us unable to access the original languages.

As you celebrate Easter today and throughout the next week, perhaps take some time to look back on your own life. Have you had a moment where you “rose up” to follow Jesus? How has your life changed because He has called you? And make no mistake, He has, He is, and He will always be calling you to further transformational relationship with Him.

FREE Lenten Journal 2019

Published on by Kate2 Comments

That’s right! The FREE Lenten Journal for 2019 is here and ready for you to print and download. I’m so excited to share this one with you. I’ve made some formatting changes from previous seasonal journals to hopefully ease the print-load on your end.

Unlike Advent last year, I’ve only done one journal for Lent. This is the lectio divina based journal where each day I’ve prayerfully chosen one verse or passage from the daily readings for your prayer and reflection. For those who don’t know or aren’t familiar, lectio divina is an ancient way of praying the Scriptures. You select a verse to meditate on, reading it aloud a few times and letting the words really sink into you. Often, a single word or phrase will stand out in a particular way, drawing your attention to it. Spend a few more minutes pondering what God is speaking to you through this word, then respond in prayer to that message. Maybe God is challenging you to rethink a situation, or is offering you comfort during a difficulty. Perhaps He is revealing His generosity or the greatness of His mercy. After you respond in prayer, sit in silence and adoration, basking in the love God has for you.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/40e41uogel0i3uy/2019%20Lent%20Lectio%20Divina%20Journal.pdf?dl=0
Click on the image or the link above to access the pdf file. You do not need a dropbox account to access the file.

Lectio Divina is a beautiful way to slow down during your day and to spend intentional time with the Lord. The word or phrase you encountered during your prayer could serve as a mantra or focus for your day, something you continue to meditate on even after your dedicated lectio time is over.

Please, please share this post with everyone and anyone you think would like to have a quality, solid and free Lenten resource. There are so many options out there, but not many of them are so easily or readily accessible.

I would also love to hear your thoughts on this journal. If you happen to have downloaded my journals in the past, it would be great to hear how you felt this one compared to the others. Feel free to email me (in my profile bio along the side), comment below or reach out on social media. Here’s that link one more time.

In related news, I think I’ve found my word that will be guiding my Lenten season. My word for 2019 is officially “Follow-Through” and I’ve been working hard on embodying that. Responding to emails in a timely way, remembering to return library books on time, actually getting out of bed when my alarm goes off (mostly, this one is so hard people, seriously). I’m certainly not perfect, but I’m feeling better already about myself and in my self-respect.

Inspired by this, my word for Lent is going to be “Presence.” Part of following through on things is making sure I’m ready and able to be present when and where I need to be. If I promise to be at someone’s house for a playdate at 10, then in order to follow through on that I need to have the presence of mind that morning to leave the house at the right time. I can’t be worrying about yesterday, fussing about tomorrow, or getting caught up in too many tasks. Follow through also means my actual presence is usually required in some matter for something. Emails won’t write themselves. Library books don’t walk back to the library for me (wouldn’t that be awesome!) In order to follow through, I need to be present to that situation.

So, the way I’m going to practice being fully present is by not yelling through the house for my kids. And this is going to be really tough because we have a long, winding house which, long story, used to be two houses that are now joined in the middle. It’s super fun but also challenging when the person you need is on the other side of the house. Instead of shouting for that person, (which is usually followed by the unfair chastisement that they ought to come talk to me instead of shouting through the house….like I just did), I’m going to get up, or pause what I’m doing, and go seek that child out. I’ll make eye contact, speak calmly and have a moment of true presence with them. At least, I hope. A fast from yelling, I’m not sure how it will go, but I think it’s worth a try. I’m still working on how my word of “Presence” will factor into prayer and almsgiving, but there’s still some time yet.

What are you hoping for this Lent? Will you try the word or phrase idea for focusing your Lenten practices?

Daily Graces. kktaliaferro.wordpress.com

What’s the Word?

Published on by Kate3 Comments

Happy New Year! We had a full Christmas and New Year, hence the radio silence here. But I’m happy to say that though it was a season of newness, (we celebrated my brother’s wedding and bought a new van while on vacation), we are settling back into our familiar routines. Homeschool, playgroups, making bread and finding order amidst chaos. Hopefully this also means some more regular posts from me, along with a few new resource ideas I was dreaming up on our long car rides this holiday season.

Have you seen the Veggie Tales rendition of the story of Jonah? It’s quite comical, as Veggie Tales stories often are. Jonah, played by an asparagus, teams up with a caterpillar named Khalil and a band of pirates whose theme song revolves around their pride in not doing anything. In the opening scenes, Jonah enters the town of Joppa while the villagers sing a song asking Jonah, “What’s the word?” They want to know what God’s Word or message is, and they know Jonah is the prophet through whom God speaks.

As we have officially entered the New Year, it is a great time to pause and ask this same question: What’s the Word, Lord?

I recently listened to the New Year’s episode from Abiding Together, a podcast hosted by 3 lovely Catholic women. Every time I listen to the podcast I feel uplifted, inspired and usually convicted to dig deeper into some area of my life. This episode was no different. The women discussed their twist (and others have done this as well) on a New Year’s resolution. Rather than making a commitment to do or not do something on their own, each woman has prayerfully and thoughtfully chosen a word to serve as a theme for 2019. This isn’t something they came up with all at once, but is the fruit of nearly a month’s discernment. For each of them, they spoke about how the previous year had gone and how this new word for 2019 is building upon or growing out of 2018.

I love this idea! I loved it so much that my first instinct while listening was to pick the first thing that came to my mind and claim it as my word. (Exactly the opposite of their process.) Thankfully, I’m slowing myself down and plan to spend a good portion of January reflecting on this question: What’s the Word?

The women had some great ideas for how to go about this, especially if you are someone who is just starting to deepen your relationship with God. Go to the Scriptures, especially Isaiah 61:1-3

“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.”

This passage holds special meaning for the podcast and is full of hope and comfort for the New Year.

Other ideas for lectio divina would be the Beatitudes, the Psalms, and John 17. You might also consider spending some time in adoration, devoting yourself to talking through this question with God. If it is a challenge to get that solitary time away because of your family schedule, maybe talk with your spouse about spending a few extra minutes in prayer after Mass, or arriving early and you spending that time speaking with God (perhaps from a different pew *wink wink).

If you’ve struggled with New Year’s resolutions, or are already struggling with this year’s, maybe a word for the year will work better for you. I think it’s going to for me and I’m excited to explore its possibilities.

Have you tried this before? Would you consider it now? What ideas do you have for discerning God’s Word for your year? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Use the comments or head over to any of my social media spots and let us know what you think!

Daily Graces. kktaliaferro.wordpress.com