Episode 34: Lenten Lectio Divina with Sarah Christmyer

Thriving in the Trenches a Catholic Podcast

Have you ever heard of this term, Lectio Divina, and wondered what in the world it meant? Have you ever thought you’d like to learn how to get into the Scriptures in a deeper way? God speaks to us through the Word of God and we are richly blessed in this country to have the freedom to have Bibles, read Bibles, live out our Catholic Christian faith, and to come together for times to worship and praise our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As a Catholic, we are steeped in the traditions of proper interpretations of God’s Word and we have the Graces of the Church to help us in our journey. With Lent just around the corner, we thought it was the best time to finally get Sarah Christmyer on our podcast to help us learn how to go deeper into relationship with our Father through the written Word.

Please consider supporting our Podcast Our Guest:

Sarah Christmyer is a Catholic author, Bible teacher, and speaker with a special love for lectio divina and journaling as ways to draw close to Christ in Scripture. She co-developed with Jeff Cavins The Great Adventure Catholic Bible study program, serving as founding editor. Sarah is the author of two guided prayer journals, Create in me a Clean Heart: Ten Minutes a Day in the Penitential Psalms and Lord, Make Haste to Help Me: Seven Psalms to Pray in Time of Need. She is author or co-author of a number of Bible studies for Ascension Press and Emmaus Road Publishing. She is a contributing author of Walk in Her Sandals: Experiencing Christ’s Passion Through the Eyes of Women, published by Ave Maria Press. Sarah has a Masters degree in Theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, Philadelphia, where she is an adjunct faculty member. She is a member of the Board of Malvern Retreat House in Malvern, PA. She blogs at www.ComeIntotheWord.com and for Women in the New Evangelization (WINE).

You can find Sarah at:

www.ComeIntotheWord.com https://www.facebook.com/comeintotheword/ Instagram: @comeintotheword Twitter: @SChristmyer Show Notes:

• During Lent, Sarah is hosting a group discussion of the Penitential Psalms on Facebook so people can share their insights with others. Request to join by liking Sarah’s Author Page linked above. Then click on “Groups” in the left-hand menu.
• Also, you can sign up for her blog at www.comeintotheword.com and you will receive free instructions related to things she is talking about:
• • – Planting the Word in Your Heart (lectio divina steps and personal journaling format)
  • – How to Pray with the Penitential Psalms

Call to Action –

Find the Bible that you will use as your own where you can underline and highlight the Scriptures that God is speaking blessing into your life with. Set up a special place that you can find quiet and commune with God as you meditate with the Penitential Psalms this Lent. If you are on Facebook, sign up for the group so we can all dig in deeper together. Ask the Lord to meet you in His Word daily and to give you the Grace to hear Him.

Scripture –

“14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” – Hebrews 4:14-16

Saint Quote –

“Great is the profit to be derived from the sacred Scriptures and their assistance is sufficient for every need. Paul was pointing this out when he said, ‘Whatever things have been written have been written for our instruction, upon whom the final age of the world has come, that through the patience and the consolation afforded by the Scriptures we may have hope.’ (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11) The divine words, indeed, are a treasury containing every sort of remedy, so that, whether one needs to put down senseless pride, or to quench the fire of concupiscence or to trample on the love of riches, or to despise pain, or to cultivate cheerfulness and acquire patience – in them one may find in abundance the means to do so.” (Hom. 37 On John.)” – St. John Chrysostom