How the Ichthys, or “Sign of the Fish,” Became Associated with Jesus

We’ve probably all seen it at one point or another, whether it be on the bumper of a car, a business card, or religious artworks. The ichthys, also known colloquially as the “Jesus fish,” has been a symbol representing Jesus Christ for nearly the entire history of the Church. What does this symbol actually mean, and how did it come to represent our Lord?

The ichthys consists of two intersecting arcs that extend pass their intersection to resemble a fish.

The ichthys first started appearing in Catholic art and literature around the second century A.D. By the end of the second century it was popular among followers of the Church and became widespread across the globe by the fourth century. According to tradition, the fish symbol is rooted during the early years of the Church when those who followed the Lord faced intense religious persecution. The symbol would allow them to quickly identify if they were in safe company, and it was also used to discretely mark gathering places and tombs. Some say that when a Catholic was faced with a stranger in a road, they would draw one half of the arc in the dirt. If the stranger completed the symbol by drawing the other arc, they both knew they were safe in each others company.

Why a fish? Historians most likely think it is a reference to Feeding the Multitude, where Jesus performs a miracle feeding thousands with only a few fish. Another probable explanation is stems from when Jesus recruits Peter and Andrew, saying he will make them fishers of men.

“As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.'” – Mark 1:16-17

The term ichthys, is actually a Greek acronym translating into English to mean Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.

• Iota (i) is the first letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), Greek for “Jesus”
• Chi (ch) is the first letter of Christos (Χριστός), Greek for “anointed”
• Theta (th) is the first letter of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for “God”
• Upsilon (y) is the first letter of hyios (Υἱός), Greek for “Son”
• Sigma (s) is the first letter of sōtēr (Σωτήρ), Greek for “Savior”

 

By George Ryan - August 25, 2017

Editorial credit: NoyanYalcin / Shutterstock.com

The connection between the bronze serpent and the holy cross

 

There is a great spiritual connection between the bronze serpent that Moses made in the desert and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ.

On the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Catholic Church provides the following Gospel, where Jesus makes a specific connection to an Old Testament event.

 Jesus said to Nicodemus:

“No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

John 3:13-17

The connection makes the most sense when reading the Old Testament account of the event.

The bronze serpent

Pope Benedict XVI summarized the Old Testament story in an Angelus message he gave in 2012:

The reference is to the episode in which, during the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites were attacked by poisonous serpents and many of them died. God then commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and to set it on a pole; anyone bitten by serpents was cured by looking at the bronze serpent (cf. Number 21:4-9). 

Jesus specifically points to this episode as a foreshadowing of what would happen to himself on the cross.

Benedict XVI further comments by explaining how these two events are spiritually related:

Jesus was to be raised likewise on the Cross, so that anyone in danger of death because of sin, may be saved by turning with faith to him who died for our sake: “for God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:17).

Whenever we gaze upon a crucifix, we can think back to the story of Moses and the bronze serpent, and how the cross can be an instrument of spiritual healing.

We are all in need of healing. Jesus came to earth to heal us, both body and soul, and to bring us to a place of eternal healing, where all of our tears will be wiped away.

Family Prayers Before Meals

I grew up in a Baptist family. We prayed before all our meals. When my sisters and I were young, we took turns saying the prayer. "Thank you Lord for the food we eat, thank you Lord for the birds that sing, thank you Lord for everything, Amen." Once we got older and understood what God and prayer was all about, our Dad normally said the prayer in a more "adult" way. 

We didn't have prayer books. In our family it was considered wrong to pray from a book or card. We were told not to depend on prayers written by someone else, nor should we recite rote prayers; we should "pray from our heart." 

Of course we should pray from our heart. At the same time we should not be surprised that our hearts and minds, while at prayer, need the encouragement and guidance of holy men and women who have left behind prayers that beautifully express God's merciful love and foster our devotion. Prayers drawn from Scripture, rooted in the Liturgy and flowing from the hearts of the holy, the wise and the learned help us in our journey toward God. 

Family Prayers Before Meals

By Fr. Michael Rennier - published on 08/11/24

 We strive to bless our meals so the food might nourish souls as well as bodies. In doing so, we open ourselves up to the deeper spiritual aspect of the meal.

My most recent obsession is Renaissance butter knives with musical scores of meal blessings engraved onto them. I’ve lived all my life not knowing these exist and now that I know they do, I don’t know how I lived without them. I need them.

The photograph comes from a review of and exhibition of Renaissance Devotionals in Cambridge, Mass. written by Dr Carrie Gress. The review tells us:

These four knives with ivory or ebony handles and etched steel blades show how music would enhance devotion tin the Italian Renaissance home. Each one is inscribed on the blade with the name of a voice part (‘Superius’, ‘Contratenor’, ‘Tenor’ and ‘Bassus’) and the words and music of a Benediction on one side of the blade and a Grace on the other.

 Read the full article at blog.pontifex.university. 

I have a reverie, an image in my mind. It’s me, my wife, and our six devoted, angelic children holding up our butter knives and using them to chant a benediction over dinner. We are in perfect harmony. We are well dressed and our hair is combed. There are no crumbs on the table left over from lunch. We are “magazine-worthy,” a perfect picture of an ideal family. These knives will change everything.

Collective chaos

In reality, our current meal prayers as a family are hurried, individual prayers each one of us mutters under our breath as we individually sit down. Our dining room buffet is covered in laptops, cameras, notebooks, and schoolbooks so it isn’t useful anymore for placing dishes of food on it to collectively serve the meal. That’s why we all sit down randomly and individually. Once we hear that dinner is ready, we all rush to the kitchen like ravenous wolves to get our fair share of the food. It’s very much like surviving a stampede.

Sometimes my boys have eaten an entire plate of food before I even manage to sit down. They’re waiting there at the other end of the table with both hands on their plates, a hungry look in their eyes, ready to bolt from the table and pile on a second serving.

I’ve often thought about imposing some order and using the meal prayer booklets from Clear Creek Abbey. They’re a little out of our league talent-wise with all the collective singing and figuring out what page to be on, but I think it would be nice to have a more formal set of prayers for the family to practice and pray together. If not every single night, then maybe at least a few nights per week. It would slow us down and impose some dignity on the opening ceremonies.

Sharing holy meals

But the desire is more than that. Meal prayers aren’t only a way to formalize a meal. They’re a way to make the food itself sacred by offering it to God along with our gratitude. The Scriptures begin and end with meals; the first words of God to Adam and Eve are an invitation to dine, and the vision of St. John of Heaven is basically a giant wedding banquet (in other words, a family meal). In the meantime, the final act of Our Lord before his death is to share a meal with his disciples, and the way Catholics make sacred the Lord’s Day is to participate in that meal at Holy Mass. During his ministry, Our Lord often joined in with meals. He ate with his disciples, his friends, seekers, pharisees, and, yes, sinners. Meals are all-encompassing. No one is left out, not even the wrong sort of people.

If meals are sacred, what are we to make of the fact that the wrong sort of people are still invited? I look around at my dinner table. I wonder if we are the wrong sort of people. We get on each other’s nerves. I impatiently chastise the kids to chew with closed mouths. I admonish them to take their elbows off the table and sit up straight. Sometimes our conversation is interesting. Other times it’s boring. Sometimes we laugh. Occasionally we gripe at each other. There are times when we rush through to get to some other event. We aren’t perfect, not by a long shot. We are, in this sense, very much the wrong sort of people. It takes some grace to sit here, together.

Striving toward the ideal

We practice our little rituals. Our hurried prayers. I put on a Puccini record. The five-year old dims the electric chandelier and lights two candles. She does this every night to make dinner fancy. She has the right idea. We imperfect people are gathered round the table learning to live together, meal after meal. We love each other and want to share time together. Good time or bad time. Boring or enchanting.

I don’t think we really need the knives with prayers engraved on them. All we need is to pray together, sincerely, and thank God that we are welcome at the table, that he cares for us and has given us each other. The important point is to pray together and eat together. Yes, we can improve our meal blessing, but it can be simple. Anyone can do it.

It makes sense that we would strive to bless the meal. It’s so the food might nourish souls as well as bodies. In acknowledging the ritual, we are opening ourselves up to the deeper spiritual aspect of the meal. It’s a heavenly banquet, a sign of familial unity. In our family, there will always be a place at this table for these children. Hopefully someday, their future children will join us. The blessing is for the whole family, past, present, and future. The blessing is for the food but ultimately it is for us, that Christ himself would fix a plate and take a seat.

Published by Aleteia (aleteia.org) 8/11/24

 

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐀 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡, 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐥 - A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type of these.

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 - Code of Canon Law 2179 "A parish is a definite community of the Christian faithful established on a stable basis within a particular church; the pastoral care of the parish is entrusted to a pastor as its own shepherd under the authority of the diocesan bishop." It is the place where all the faithful can be gathered together for the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. The parish initiates the Christian people into the ordinary expression of the liturgical life: it gathers them together in this celebration; it teaches Christ's saving doctrine; it practices the charity of the Lord in good works and brotherly love."

𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 - A shrine is a church or other sacred place where a relic is preserved, like the Shrine of St. Jude in Baltimore; where an apparition has taken place, like the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock in Ireland or the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City; or an historical event of faith has taken place, like the Shrine of the Our Lady of the Martyrs in Auriesville, N.Y., where the early Jesuit missionaries were martyred.

𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐥 - The name “cathedral” is given to churches that are the “hub” of each diocese, where the bishop typically presides at important liturgies. The cathedral gets its name from the presence of the bishop’s chair, traditionally called the cathedra (Latin word for “chair”). The bishop sits on this chair when celebrating the Mass or other liturgical events at the cathedral.

𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚 - The term basilica was used to identify churches of historic and spiritual importance. Usually, these churches are built in the basilica style, but the key criterion is that they are places of historic and spiritual importance. The Holy Father officially designates a church as a "basilica." Basilicas are further classified into two groups: Major and Minor.

Major Basilicas include only those churches in Rome that have great historical significance. These include St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls. The second group is known as “minor basilicas.” These are more numerous, found in almost every country in the world. Local bishops petition Rome for one of their churches to be named a minor basilica; the church must be proven to have extraordinary beauty with a rich history behind it to be given the title.

What Does it Mean to be a Catholic Man?

When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go." (1 Kings 2:1 - 3 NIV)

While some chose to convert to Catholicism, many are born into the faith. As such, it’s no surprise that some Catholics don’t really fully comprehend what this religion is about. Yes, they know the Caticisum and physical movements involved with Catholic Traditions (sign of the cross) and all the words in the Rosary. But they don't seem to grasp the true meanings behind the doctrine, traditions and prayers. So what does it mean to be Catholic?

As simple as this question may seem, it’s something that many of us don’t really know the answer to. Because being Catholic means more than just reciting the rosary, believing in saints, or going to church every Sunday. In fact, there is no single definition that can define what a Catholic is.

Look around you right now. God mad us all different. If you asked a dozen Catholics what it means to be Catholic, you would get a dozen different answers.

One article defines being Catholic as a continuous personal encounter with Christ that renews our spirit. While another says that being Catholic means sensing God’s presence and power in and around us. But these definitions do not fully encapsulate the essence of being a Catholic.

To really understand what it means to be Catholic, let’s first define what a Catholic is.

Defining Catholicism

The word “Catholic” came from a Greek term that means “through the whole”. It can also mean something that is “universal”, “worldwide”, or “all-inclusive”. The first recorded use of the term was in St. Ignatius of Antioch’s letter to the Smyrneans. In there, he wrote that:

"wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."

What does this mean for us?

During Jesus’ ministry, he emphasized the importance of loving God and loving others regardless of who they are. He showed it himself when he talked with the Samaritan woman in the well, dined with sinners, and preached to the Gentiles.

This is why one of the basic tenets of Catholicism is the universality of God’s love. Catholics come from all corners of the world. We speak different languages, have widely varying cultures, and live very different lives. Yet, we are united in God’s love – a love so great that He sacrificed His only son so that our sins may be forgiven.

The Difference Between Christians and Catholics

There’s a common misconception that Catholics are not Christians. While non-Christians tend to think that “Christians” and “Catholics” are the same.

All Catholics are Christians but not all Christians are Catholics. The term “Catholic” usually refers to members of the Roman Catholic Church. While “Christians” refer to anyone who believes in Christ regardless of their religious affiliation.

There are several things that set Catholics apart from other Christians such as:
the use of symbolism in expressing our faith (statues, pictures, rosaries, etc.),
practicing the Holy Sacraments, having a standard liturgy, the belief in the communion of saints.

What Do Catholics Believe In?

Every religion has its own core set of beliefs and teachings. Here are some of the tenets that define the Catholic faith:

The Trinity

One of the most basic Catholic doctrines is the Trinity: that there is one God manifested in three persons:

1. The Father, Who Is The Creator;

Catholics believe in God, the loving Father, and Creator. We believe that His love is overflowing and limitless.

2. The Son, Who Is The Redeemer

Catholics believe that God sent his own beloved Son, Jesus Christ. The Redeemer, our Lord, and Savior, who suffered and died on the cross, rose from the dead to save us from our sins, and gave us the gift of eternal life.

3. and the Holy Spirit, Who Is The Sanctifier.

Catholics believe in the Holy Spirit and the powerful presence that it gives to the church. Provided by the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the Church at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit lets us live a righteous and faithful life. It acts as a comforter, especially in times of our trials.

Christ’s Teachings

Like all Christians, the Catholic faith puts much emphasis on the teachings of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the Old Testament, God gave us ten commandments to follow. Jesus, in the New Testament, summed those up into two: to love God above all else and to love others as we love ourselves. Through his parables and preaching, he also taught us to practice forgiveness and mercy. These teachings form the core of the Catholic church’s dogma which every faithful must strive to follow.

Sacraments

Catholics worship, praise, and follow God by living a sacramental life. We believe that the sacraments bring us up close and personal with God. For example, the bread and wine in the Holy Eucharist is more than just a symbol of receiving the body and blood of Christ. It’s about communing with God and being one with Him.

Applying The Scriptures in Our Daily Lives

To be able to follow God and live a righteous life, Catholics acknowledge the importance of reading and practicing the teachings in the Holy Bible.

Bearing Witness to God

Like how Christ endured suffering and rejections, Catholics preach the word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In a world where the values and teachings are often contrary to what God and Jesus say, Catholics speak up for what we believe to be right and true.

The Communion of Saints

This is what most people often misunderstood about us Catholics. And even some Catholics misunderstood the values of believing in the communion of saints. The latter part of the Nicene Creed also concisely sums up this belief.

But when we say we believe in the communion of saints, that doesn’t mean that we tend to think of them as equal to God and Christ. We are connected to our Christian family through the Holy Spirit. We don’t worship our brothers and sisters but we do respect them and ask them to pray for us. The Bible says that the prayer of a holy person is very powerful. Saints are holy people who can pray for us. They are an instrument for us to be more connected to God and feel His eternal love.

So What Does It Mean to be Catholic?

As mentioned, there is no single phrase or sentence that can define the Catholic faith. If you ask Catholics right now about what it means to be Catholic, you’ll surely get varying answers.

But for me, being a Catholic means fulfilling the mission that Christ set for us: to love God and love all others. Being a Catholic is a life-long and continuous encounter with God. It’s about living our lives as Christ’s disciples and as living witnesses to His divine grace.

I grew up in a Baptist home. We (my parents, sisters and I) went to Sunday School and the adult "Church" service afterward, every Sunday. Then, again every Sunday, about 1:00pm, the Church doors were locked until about 8:00am the next Sunday. Once in a while there was a "Prayer Meeting" on a Wednesday evening. The rest of the week you were on your own to battle human temptations of what looked good, tasted good or felt good. Temptations aimed at your mind and body.

My parents told me the Church services on Sunday were to help me focus my life on the ways that Jesus taught us when he was here. I can tell you that as a kid, a re-focus once a week didn't do me much good. I got even worse when I enlisted in the Navy. A uniform can corrupt a man fairly quickly. If one isn't careful, it causes booze and women to flow freely. Especially when he only re-focuses his life once a week. Other temptations such as asking if God really exists, can come from surviving dangerous situations or combat when you hear the screams of the dying, and know there's nothing you can do to help.

I go to Mass every day now. I still sin, not as much as before, and I can still be corrupted. Partaking of the sacrament every day has done a lot to build up my mental and spiritual strengths to fight the temptations that life throws at me every day. The traditions followed during Mass, some that go all the way back to Abraham, are daily reminders of the Saints that came before me, living a life of pain, hardship and sorrow, yet they still would not betray the God that created them.

I didn't become a real Catholic right away. I went through RCIA. My wife Lolita was my sponsor. At that time, I went more to learn than to actually become a Catholic. Some of the things that bothered me was Mary, the Rosary and prayer books. 

My parents didn't want me to use prayer books. They said I shouldn’t depend on prayers written by others and even less on recited repetitive prayers, such as the Rosary. Rather, I should pray from the heart.

Of course, we should pray from the heart. But, we also should not be surprised to find our hearts and minds, when at prayer, sometimes need the encouragement and guidance of holy men and women who have left behind prayers that beautifully express God’s merciful love and promote the growth and development of our devotion. It is also important that in our private prayer we should use the vocabulary of faith and devotion common to all through the ages and across the globe.

Catholic prayer books, prayers we recite at Mass and other spiritual events, help us to discover how prayers drawn from the scriptures, rooted in the Liturgy, and flowing from the hearts of the holy, wise, and the learned, help us in our journey to God. They can also renew the joy and hope within us that our faith gives us through God’s love.

The Rosary started out as a school for me. It was a place to start learning the Bible. The mysteries of each of the decades are the major important events in the Bible. By following the mysteries I'm following the life of Christ. By memorizing the Rosary, I'm permanently embedding the life of Christ in my heart mind and sole. By praying the Rosary I'm receiving strength of mind and heart to overcome the daily temptations of life. I'm also praising God and asking for his forgiveness. Today, the Rosary is something that helps me to filter out all the earthly things in my life and concentrate on communing with God.

Today, a custom I follow when praying the Rosary is to meditate on each of the mysteries while my mouth proclaims the Hail Marys and my fingers traverse the beads. Meditation to me consists of focusing my mind, heart and sole on the mystery and renewing my personal commitment to the point that is embedded in the mystery. For example, lets take the first mystery, the Annunciation. the announcement of the birth of Jesus to Mary.

Mary at that time was betrothed to Joseph. In those days men and women were betrothed when they were engaged to be married. This usually took place a year or more before marriage. From the time of betrothal the woman was regarded as the lawful wife of the man to whom she was betrothed ( Deuteronomy 28:30 ; Judges 14:2 Judges 14:8 ; Matthew 1:18-21 ). The year of engagement was so that the husband could go and build a house for his new family. In those days, normally, if a woman became pregnant during the engagement, she was considered a whore and taken to the edge of town and stoned to death.

Mary knew the consequences of her pregnancy but she still said “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38).

Mary's actions are what is conveyed to me in my meditation. No mater what the consequences, I must fulfill the Lord's word to me.

It helps me to understand the Lord's words in the Bible if I know the circumstances surrounding the words. The mysteries in the Rosary is a good place to start studying and researching those circumstances.

I don't always achieve meditation, it's not easy. It takes a lot of mental and spiritual strength filter out all the earthly stuff from my heart mind and sole. It helps to read about the history of the mystery, and to learn about the culture of the society around the mystery. All of that helps me to understand what God is trying to teach me through the Rosary...And the daily readings.

First Mass in the Philippines

 

March 31 commemorates the anniversary of the first Catholic Mass in the Philippines in 1521.

Each year Filipinos commemorate the anniversary of the first Catholic Mass celebrated on the island of Limasawa in Southern Leyte.

According to Vatican News, “On Easter Sunday in 1521, Father Pedro de Valderrama celebrated the first Catholic Mass in what is now the Philippines, specifically on the island of Limasawa in Southern Leyte.

The date was March 31, and the Spanish priest was part of an expedition to the so-called ‘East Indies’ led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.”

The Mass was celebrated on an “improvised altar” and the congregation included local inhabitants.

The past few years have seen several jubilee celebrations, celebrating 500 years since the first Mass. Those celebrations were postponed during COVID in 2021, but were held successfully in 2022.

John Burger also adds in his article for Aleteia that, “Since 2013, Filipino Catholics have been observing a nine-year preparatory cycle to prepare for the great anniversary. With a particular theme assigned to each year, the Church in the Philippines has sought to deepen and reinvigorate its missionary character, with programs tailored by each of the country’s dioceses and archdioceses.”

How Do I Pray?

Stephen Arthur Noel DSouza - Financial Consultant at Business (1975–present)

Prayer is not only talking to God but involves all interactions with Him and His people - especially the poor and the needy.

When we read the Bible and meditate on it - it is God that is talking to us and instructing us.

When we contemplate we are discussing with God as to how we are going to implement these teachings in our life. It is here that we also make our prayer requests.

Jesus is a perfect example of prayer:

1. At the beginning of the day He used to connect with the Father and offer His day upto God. He used to receive instructions for the day.

2. He implemented God's instructions with His preachings, teachings, healings and charitable works. Thus we must make everyone's experience with us a memorable ‘Jesus experience’. We must do our work in office / fulfill our vocation by giving our best and fullest to everyone we meet. This is called an ‘action prayer’.

3. We must try to meet Jesus in the mass and Sacraments, received the Eucharist daily and go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation once a month.

At the end of the day Jesus used to isolate Himself and spend time with the Father and perhaps praise and thank Him for all the blessings received during the day.

We must pray likewise!

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

---

How do I read the Bible?

The process is called ‘Lectio Divina’. It involves invoking the Holy Spirit, reading, meditating, praying, contemplating, and thus being in perfect communion with God.

It is suggested you start with the ‘Gospel of John’, followed by the remaining three Gospels and the remaining New Testament:

1. You must isolate yourself to a place of silence, which is conducive to prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you and reveal Himself to you.

2. Read the Bible passage slowly, and remember that every word has been specifically chosen, and approved of by God – and is there for a reason. The Holy Spirit has made sure the author of that book has conveyed what God wants him to communicate – nothing more and nothing less.

3. Now picture yourself in that situation – e.g. as part of the audience that Jesus / the author is speaking to.

4. Ask Jesus what He is telling you/revealing to you, and meditate on the central theme of the message.

5. Dialogue with God and discuss with Him as to how it is relevant to your life, and how you are going to implement it in your circumstances / situation.

6. Ask God for His help and grace in its implementation.

7. Practice it in your life. As mentioned above ‘Live the Gospel and use words – if absolutely necessary’.

When you are reading the Word and meditating – be attentive, God is speaking to you.

When you contemplate – it is you that are speaking to God, and making your prayer requests. The Golden rules are:

a. Imagine yourself at the feet of God, and talk to Him from your heart.

b. Follow the KISS principle i.e. Keep It Simple Son/Sister.

c. Tell God the problem – don’t give Him the solution, as He knows best e.g. “God my friend is suffering from cancer – please heal him”.

d. Have faith – do not doubt – Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

CLICK ON THE LINK for a demo of ‘Lectio Divina’: