“Be gentle to all and stern with yourself” (St. Teresa of Avila).
Welcome Grace, Jessica, and Laura, Bible Study Evangelista’s newest friends of the show! Thank you for loving and lifting me.
LOVE the Word™ is a Bible study method based on Mary’s own practice: lectio without the Latin.
L – Listen (Receive the Word.)
O – Observe (Choose one or more of the following personality approaches to connect the passage to your life and recent events.)
F | Franciscan – Take an egg outside and drop it on the ground. Reflect on how damaging an out-of-control temper can be.
I | Ignatian – Imagine you are sitting in the spring grass by the Sea of Galilee with Jesus and several hundred others as He teaches the Sermon on the Mount. Remember that another name for The Beatitudes is The Blisses. Do you feel the gentle breeze on your skin as Jesus speaks? How is that breeze teaching you gentleness? Is the sun warm on your face? How many of your senses can feel God’s gentleness as you sit with Jesus and hear His words: “The gentle shall inherit the earth.”
A | Augustinian – In what instance this week did your temper get the best of you? Be aware that you may be offered a pop quiz on gentleness in the near future.
T | Thomistic – Reiterate the steps of S – T – O – P in your mind. Commit Psalm 4:4 to memory.
V – Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.)
Talk to Jesus about your last angry outburst. Remembering you are in His presence, ask your guardian angel to help you with S – T – O – P this week as you experience your pop quiz on gentleness. Say Psalm 4:4 out loud, or write it in your journal or on your journal page (get a free page and user guide to the right).
E – Entrust (May it be done to me according to your word!)
Holy Spirit, Guard the door to my mouth as you closed the mouths of the lions for Daniel and His friends. I commit myself anew to Your gentleness. + Amen.
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*LOVE the Word™ exercises are offered according to FIAT: the four personalities, or “prayer forms,” explored in Prayer and Temperament, by Chester Michael and Marie Norrisey: Franciscan, Ignatian, Augustinian, and Thomistic: FIAT! These prayer forms correspond to the Myers-Briggs personality types.
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Episode Resources
On our Facebook discussion community, tell me your #LOVEtheWordtakeaway: have you ever been struck by how gentle God is with you? Reflect.
References
Thomas Aquinas, Catena Aurea on Matthew 5:5
Read the Transcript
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Courtesy of Kristie Hynniman who does our transcriptions for you.
Hi Sonja I thought that the source of the psychic suffering that Lazarus endured was because of the Kings indifference to his suffering. I was wondering what others thought
Could be, and sounds plausible for sure. Maybe a question for the FB discussion group?