Lanterns in the Desert/Lenten Lectio: Worship the Lord your God, and Serve only God

Your word is a lantern to my feet
 and a light to my path.

 Psalm 119:105

Our Lenten journey takes place in our desert, that place in our life where we wander and wonder and struggle with who we are and what we are called to be and to do.  It is a place of "testing."    We remember that after his baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the desert where he spent 40 days wandering, wondering, and struggling.  He used the Word of God as his Light and his "Lantern in the Desert."  As we walk with Jesus in the desert carrying our own lanterns to light the path, we learn that we must keep our eye on God if we are going to stay in the light and on the path.  There are many things in our world that tempt us to worship little gods, putting them before God.   We often pray and when God doesn't answer in our way and in our time, we work to make life happen in our way and in our time.  

Remember Moses and the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years as you consider this week's passage.  Remember when Moses went to meet God on the mountain.  The Israelites got impatient and built a golden calf to worship ... 

For the next couple of weeks we look first at the 3rd temptation of Christ as we engage in Lectio this week and walk the labyrinth next week.

Before we engage in Lectio Divina, or sacred reading, let us focus on God's loving presence by creating and breathing with a Breath Prayer.  Try this one or create one of your own:

Breathing in ... my Lord, my God

Breathing out ... help me worship and serve only you

When you are ready to enter into prayer with the text via Lectio Divina, take one last deep breath and pray for illumination of the text:

Holy Spirit, light the candle in my lantern as I read and pray with the Holy Word.  Increase my trust and help me to let go as I listen to the movements of God in my reading and reflection.  Amen.

Step 1:  Read Matthew 4:8-11 (Contemporary English Version) with the "eyes of your heart."   What word or phrase calls for your attention in your reading?  What word or phrase is this week's "lantern in the desert" for you? 

Finally, the devil took Jesus up on a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms on earth and their power. The devil said to him, “I will give all this to you, if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus answered, “Go away Satan! The Scriptures say:

‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

Then the devil left Jesus, and angels came to help him.

Step 2:  Read the passage again and Reflect ...
How does your lantern in the desert illuminate your life and reveal the tiny gods you are tempted to worship when God seems to be distant and not a vital part of your life?  Where are the places in your life where are you being invited to more deeply worship and serve only God?

Step 3:  Read the passage again and Respond ...
What do you say to God about the insights you have discerned in your reading and reflection?   How do you pray when you consider how you are being invited to worship and serve God and God's people?

Step 4:  Rest ...
Come to a place of silence within yourself and just "be" with God.  Try for 10 minutes or beyond. When you are ready to move on,  pray:  

Holy Spirit, boldly light a Lantern in the Desert so that I may find my way with you.  Help me to keep my focus on you and on where your light shines upon my life so that I might follow you more closely every day.   Amen.

If art is a pathway to God for you, you may want to gaze upon this image ...and engage in visio divina ...

Read the Image ... Allow your eyes to seek softly what you are attracted to in the image.  Simply receive the gift of seeing.  What image within the image is drawing you in ... Allow yourself a few moments simply to sit with this gift.

Receive the Image ... Take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a receptive spirit.  After receiving, close your eyes and reflect by allowing your imagination to form that image in your consciousness ... what are you receiving from God through the image?  How does this illuminate your life right now?

Respond to God ... Now take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a grateful spirit.  How do you sense yourself desiring to respond to God through the image you have received?  What would you say to God about what you are hearing, seeing, feeling?  Allow yourself to pray with gratitude ... 

Rest in God ... Now take a deep breath and rest ... notice how your body feels.  Is there something more here?  Then go back and repeat your "gazing" prayer.   If you feel that you have received all you need in this moment, simply rest in the silence and come to a place of shalom, peace, wholeness ... 

To end your time of Visio Divina ... Join Jesus in lifting up his Lantern in the Desert:

“Worship the Lord your God, and Serve only God!’”

Lanterns in the Desert/Lenten Labyrinth: Do not put the Lord your God to the test

This week we are considering the 2nd temptation of Jesus in the desert as we walk the labyrinth.      Do you have easy access to a Labyrinth that you could walk?   If not, you can take this Link to a finger Labyrinth that you can download and print: PDF File/Labyrinth.  If you prefer, here is a link to an online virtual labyrinth. If you didn't experience the text through Lectio Divina last week, you may want to take this link:  Lenten Lectio 2 before considering the text as you walk the Labyrinth.  If not, you may simply want to read the foundational text and let the words embrace you as you read.

When you are ready, read Matthew 4:5-7 from The Message:

For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, “Since you are God’s Son, jump.” The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: “He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.”  Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: “Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.”

Jesus has been on a 40-day spiritual journey in the desert, just as we are in the midst of our own 40-day Lenten journey.  He is tested 3 times and each time, he responds to the "test" with words from the Jewish scriptures.  These words are his "Lanterns in the Desert."  

Jesus relies on Deuteronomistic history of Moses and Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  As Jesus relived the tests of his ancestors, we live these same tests in our daily lives.   The 2nd test that Jesus encounters in his own wilderness wanderings is what I call "control." Satan is calling upon Jesus to take control of his own life.  It is quite a dare-devilish thing to do, to throw oneself from a building to see if God will act ... in effect, "testing" God.

Take a few moments to think about your life and your desire to control the things in your life. Have you ever bargained with God.  In the past, I have said this kind of prayer ... God if you will just do this for me, I will go to church every week for a year!   Have you?

Now, settle into a place of loving openness within yourself with a simple Breath Prayer.  Use this one or allow one to emerge as you breathe in and breathe out for 5-10 minutes.

Breathe in ... God, my Refuge
Breath out ... Let me enter your Rest
   
Pray: Holy God, your Word is my light and my lantern!   Sometimes I feel like I am wandering in the desert with Jesus, struggling with the same issues he is confronting.  Help me to accept my struggles as a chance to grow closer to you.  Amen.  

Jesus carries Jewish scripture in his heart as his Lantern in the Desert.    Allow yourself to be drawn deeply into God’s Presence as you read and pray and listen for the whispers of God through the text.  "Read" Deuteronomy 6:16, Exodus 17:1-7 slowly.  Imagine yourself as one of the Israelites wandering in the desert.  What do you hear?  What do you see?

You must not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at Massah ... At the Lord’s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sin and moved from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded.  “Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?”  But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”  Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!” The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai.  Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses struck the rock as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.   Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”

Read the passage again.  Is there a word or phrase that captures your attention as you read?  It may even be an image that will emerge for you. Perhaps this word or phrase or image will shine light into your life.   Let it illuminate your life as you walk the labyrinth and "Reflect" on what you are hearing. 


When you are on your way, turn your word or phrase or image over in your mind. Let God speak into your heart as you listen.  Take time to "Release" anything that emerges that you need to let go of in order to move on in your prayers.

Come to a time of pause … at the center of the Labyrinth or wherever you are.  Take time to "Receive" and welcome God's word for you. Consider these questions or others that may arise in your time of pause:  Where is God speaking into my desire to control my life and make things go my way ... through my word, phrase, or image?  How is my life touched by the word of God today?
 
As you walk or move out of the center along the same path you took that brought you to your pause, know that you are gaining strength for your continuing journey of life.  How is God inviting me to see myself differently?  How is God calling me to trust more deeply?  As you walk, take the time to "Respond" to God ... it doesn't have to be in words, it may be in a body prayer or in simple silence or ... however it seems right to you!

As you reach the end of the Labyrinth pathway, it is time to "Rest" in the silence of God's Presence.  Allow God to light your lantern in the desert with simplicity and healing grace.

Simply BE with the God who always hears your prayers.

Be aware that you may find a desire to express what you have received.  This is a wonderful time to journal.  Write about your experience, thoughts, feelings, and insights.   Some persons find that God’s voice is clarified through the writing process.

To end your time of Labyrinth Prayer, stand a the edge of the Labyrinth and repeat the lectionary Psalm 95 for it is another Lantern in the Desert!

O come, let us sing to the LORD; 

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth; 

the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it, 

and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
O come, let us worship and bow down, 

let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, 

and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice!
Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, 

as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your ancestors tested me, 

and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
For forty years I loathed that generation and said, 

"They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways."
Therefore in my anger I swore, "They shall not enter my rest."

Amen ... 

If art is a pathway to God for you, you may want to gaze upon the image below and engage in Visio Divina with it...  

Temptation of Christ in the Wilderness by Juan de Flandes, in public domain

Read the Image ... Allow your eyes to seek softly what you are attracted to in the image.  Simply receive the gift of seeing.  What image within the image is drawing you in ... Allow yourself a few moments simply to sit with this gift.

Receive the Image ... Take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a receptive spirit.  After receiving, close your eyes and reflect by allowing your imagination to form that image in your consciousness ... what are you receiving from God through the image?  How does this illuminate your life right now?

Respond to God ... Now take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a grateful spirit.  How do you sense yourself desiring to respond to God through the image you have received?  What would you say to God about what you are hearing, seeing, feeling?  Allow yourself to pray with gratitude ...

Rest in God ... Now take a deep breath and rest ... notice how your body feels.  Is there something more here?  Then go back and repeat your "gazing" prayer.   If you feel that you have received all you need in this moment, simply rest in the silence and come to a place of shalom, peace, wholeness ...

To end your time of Visio Divina ... Join Jesus in lifting up his Lantern in the Desert:

Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.

Lanterns in the Desert/Lenten Lectio: Do not put the Lord your God to the test!

Your word is a lantern to my feet
 and a light to my path.

 Psalm 119:105

Our Lenten journey takes place in our desert, that place in our life where we wander and wonder and struggle with who we are and what we are called to be and to do.  It is a place of "testing."   After his baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the desert where he spent 40 days wandering, wondering, and struggling.  He used the Word of God as his Light and his "Lantern in the Desert."  As we walk with Jesus in the desert carrying our own lanterns to light the path, we deepen our trust in God as we let go of trying to control our lives and make things happen.  We surrender to God.  We are invited to learn how to let God provide for us in our wilderness, just as Jesus did.  

For the next couple of weeks we look at the 2nd temptation of Christ as we expand our Lectio and Labyrinth experience.  This week we engage in Lectio and next week we'll walk the Labyrinth.  

Before we engage in Lectio Divina, or sacred reading, let us focus on God's loving presence by creating and breathing with a Breath Prayer.  Try this one or create one of your own:

Breathing in ... Holy Spirit of Jesus

Breathing out ... Strengthen me in my wilderness

When you are ready to enter into prayer with the text via Lectio Divina, take one last deep breath and pray for illumination of the text:

Holy Spirit, light the candle in my lantern as I read and pray with the Holy Word.  Increase my trust and help me to let go as I listen to the movements of God in my reading and reflection.  Amen.

Step 1:  Read Matthew 4:5-7 (Contemporary English Version) with the "eyes of your heart."   What word or phrase calls for your attention in your reading?  What word or phrase is this week's "lantern in the desert" for you? 

Next, the devil took Jesus to the holy city and had him stand on the highest part of the temple. The devil said, “If you are God’s Son, jump off. The Scriptures say:

‘God will give his angels orders about you.
They will catch you in their arms,
and you won’t hurt your feet on the stones.’”

Jesus answered, 

“The Scriptures also say, ‘Don’t try to test the Lord your God!’”

Step 2:  Read the passage again and Reflect ...
How does your lantern in the desert illuminate your life and the temptations you encounter in your desire to control your own identity and the vision you have of your life?  How are you being invited to more deeply trust in God's will and provision?

Step 3:  Read the passage again and Respond ...
What do you say to God about the insights you have discerned in your reading and reflection?   How do you pray when you consider how you are being invited to leave your life and your future in God's hands?

Step 4:  Rest ...
Come to a place of silence within yourself and just "be" with God.  Try for 10 minutes or beyond. When you are ready to move on,  pray:  

Holy Spirit, lead me deeper into a wandering wilderness this Lenten season but boldly light a Lantern in the Desert so that I may find my way with you.  Help me to know who I am as a creation of God and how I can surrender my plans in order to embrace the plans God has for me.   Amen.

If art is a pathway to God for you, you may want to gaze upon this image ...and engage in visio divina ...

The Life of Jesus Christ by James Tissot:Temptation of Jesus Christ, Brooklyn Museum, in public domain

Read the Image ... Allow your eyes to seek softly what you are attracted to in the image.  Simply receive the gift of seeing.  What image within the image is drawing you in ... Allow yourself a few moments simply to sit with this gift.

Receive the Image ... Take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a receptive spirit.  After receiving, close your eyes and reflect by allowing your imagination to form that image in your consciousness ... what are you receiving from God through the image?  How does this illuminate your life right now?

Respond to God ... Now take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a grateful spirit.  How do you sense yourself desiring to respond to God through the image you have received?  What would you say to God about what you are hearing, seeing, feeling?  Allow yourself to pray with gratitude ... 

Rest in God ... Now take a deep breath and rest ... notice how your body feels.  Is there something more here?  Then go back and repeat your "gazing" prayer.   If you feel that you have received all you need in this moment, simply rest in the silence and come to a place of shalom, peace, wholeness ... 

To end your time of Visio Divina ... Join Jesus in lifting up his Lantern in the Desert:

“The Scriptures also say, ‘Don’t try to test the Lord your God!’”

Lanterns in the Desert/Lenten Labyrinth: One does not Live by Bread Alone

Your word is a lantern to my feet
 and a light to my path.

 Psalm 119:105

This week we are considering the 1st temptation of Jesus in the desert as we walk the labyrinth.      Do you have easy access to a Labyrinth that you could walk?   If not, you can take this Link to a finger Labyrinth that you can download and print: PDF File/Labyrinth.  If you prefer, here is a link to an online virtual labyrinth. If you didn't experience the text through Lectio Divina last week, you may want to take this link:  Lenten Lectio 1 before considering the text as you walk the Labyrinth.  If not, you may simply want to read the foundational text and let the words embrace you as you read.

When you are ready, read Matthew 4:1-4 from The Message:

Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.”  Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.”


Jesus has been on a 40-day spiritual journey in the desert, just as we are in the midst of our own 40-day Lenten journey.  Jesus walks in the desert struggling with the tests he's been given, just as we walk the labyrinth seeking to understand more deeply those things that test us in our lives.  

Jesus is not the first one to struggle in his spiritual journey ... and we aren't the last ones.  When we read Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, we find people who struggle on every page we turn.  The Jewish people recalled their history often for they knew they could learn from those who went before them.  They knew their own trust in God was built on the foundation of their ancestors.  

More than the other gospel writers, Matthew writes his gospel from a Jewish perspective.  It is important for him to show Jesus as a manifestation of Jewish history.   Each of the 3 times Jesus is tested in his obedience to God, Jesus responds to the devil, his "tester" with words from the book of Deuteronomy.  These quotations from the Jewish Law highlight the story of Moses and the temptations of the Israelite community wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.  Do you remember how they complained that they were hungry and God sent them manna from heaven?  Jesus, the man who is God, is like Israel, the people of God.  As Jesus relived the temptations of his ancestors, we live these same temptations in our daily lives. 

Each time Jesus is tested he uses the Word of God as his Light and his "Lantern in the Desert."   The first test that Jesus encounters is "hunger."  Jesus has not eaten in 40 days.  I think it is safe to say that he is not only hungry, he is famished!  Of course, he is tempted to use his own power to convert stones into bread in order to alleviate his hunger.  I would be, wouldn't you?   I have a hard time with a 24 hour fast!   When I do fast, I find nagging appetites emerging to tempt me, causing me to rationalize and make excuses for why I need to "break" my fast.  In the end, when I hold steady and to my fast, I find that I am a little closer to being truly free. 


As people living in the 21st century, few of us have experienced physical hunger to the extent Jesus did after 40 days.  However, we do have addictions and appetites that we confront.  Some of them are destructive and often our lives depend on our finding ways to cope.  However, other addictions and appetites are more subtle.  There is a saying, "the one who dies with the most toys wins!"  WOW!!!  I think it was the cultural devil with the red suit and a pitchfork who whispered it into my ear once upon a time.   

Take a few moments to think about your life and your appetite for worldly things.  What can you "not live without" that you really can?   Or ... what toy is on your horizon that you "can't wait for?"   Is there anything you have that is good enough but you are eager, ready and willing to for something new and better?   

Settle into a place of loving openness within yourself with a simple Breath Prayer.  Use this one or allow one to emerge as you breathe in and breathe out for 5-10 minutes.

Breathe in ... Jesus, my light and my lantern
Breath out ... put your Word on my lips

Pray: Holy God, your Word is my light and my lantern!  The love I feel from you and the love I feel for you grow as I read the bible and learn more about you.  Fill me with the light of your word and let me be your servant.  Amen.  

Jesus carries Deuteronomy 8:1-3 in his heart as his Lantern in the Desert to battle this battle with his hunger.  Allow yourself to be drawn deeply into God’s Presence as you read and pray and listen for the whispers of God through the text: 

“Be careful to obey all the commands I am giving you today. Then you will live and multiply, and you will enter and occupy the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors. Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.  Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
 
Is there a word or phrase that captures your attention as you read?  It may even be an image that will emerge for you. Perhaps this word or phrase or image shines upon your life and satisfies your deep hunger.   Let it illuminate your life as you walk the labyrinth.

When you are on your way, turn your word or phrase or image over in your mind. Let God speak into your heart as you listen.  Take time to "Release" anything that emerges that you need to let go of in order to move on in your prayers.

Come to a time of pause … at the center of the Labyrinth or wherever you are.  Take time to "Receive" and welcome God's word for you. Consider these questions or others that may arise in your time of pause:  Where is God speaking into the appetites and addictions of my life through my word, phrase, or image?  How is my life touched by the word of God?
 
As you walk or move out of the center along the same path you took that brought you to your pause, know that you are gaining strength for your continuing journey of life.  How is God inviting me to see myself differently?  How is God calling me to trust more deeply?  As you walk, take the time to "Respond" to God ... it doesn't have to be in words, it may be in a body prayer or in simple silence or ... however it seems right to you!

As you reach the end of the Labyrinth pathway, it is time to "Rest" in the silence of God's Presence.  Allow God to light your lantern in the desert with simplicity and healing grace.

Simply BE with the God who always hears your prayers.

Be aware that you may find a desire to express what you have received.  This is a wonderful time to journal.  Write about your experience, thoughts, feelings, and insights.   Some persons find that God’s voice is clarified through the writing process.

To end your time of Labyrinth Prayer, stand a the edge of the Labyrinth and repeat this week's lectionary Psalm 121 for it is another Lantern in the Desert!

I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in 
from this time on and forevermore.

Amen ... 

If art is a pathway to God for you, you may want to gaze upon the image below and engage in Visio Divina with it...  

Read the Image ... Allow your eyes to seek softly what you are attracted to in the image.  Simply receive the gift of seeing.  What image within the image is drawing you in ... Allow yourself a few moments simply to sit with this gift.

Receive the Image ... Take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a receptive spirit.  After receiving, close your eyes and reflect by allowing your imagination to form that image in your consciousness ... what are you receiving from God through the image?  How does this illuminate your life right now?

Respond to God ... Now take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a grateful spirit.  How do you sense yourself desiring to respond to God through the image you have received?  What would you say to God about what you are hearing, seeing, feeling?  Allow yourself to pray with gratitude ...

Rest in God ... Now take a deep breath and rest ... notice how your body feels.  Is there something more here?  Then go back and repeat your "gazing" prayer.   If you feel that you have received all you need in this moment, simply rest in the silence and come to a place of shalom, peace, wholeness ...

To end your time of Visio Divina ... Join Jesus in lifting up his Lantern in the Desert:

It takes more than bread to stay alive. 

It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.  Author:  T Kean from St. Benedict's Catholic Church

Lanterns in the Desert/Lenten Lectio: One does not Live by Bread Alone

Your word is a lantern to my feet
 and a light to my path.

 Psalm 119:105

Every year we begin our Lenten journey in the desert with Jesus as he encounters the devil for a time of temptation, or perhaps better translated for our understanding as "testing."  Jesus is tested in 3 different ways and each time he uses the Word of God as his Light and his "Lantern in the Desert."   The desert, or the wilderness, is a spiritual place of coming to know ourselves, of preparing, of getting ready for the next step in our journey. It is a place where we learn to trust God for there really is nowhere else to put our trust.  Jesus is tempted to turn away from trust in God to embrace trust in himself.  If we are going to learn to put our trust in God, we also must struggle with these same tests and challenges to our trust in God provision.  

For the next couple of weeks we look at the 1st temptation of Christ as we expand our Lectio and Labyrinth experience.  This week we engage in Lectio and next week we'll walk the Labyrinth.  

Before we engage in Lectio Divina, or sacred reading, let us focus on God's loving presence by creating and breathing with a Breath Prayer.  Try this one or create one of your own:

Breathing in ... Holy Spirit
Breathing out ... Strengthen me

When you are ready to enter into prayer with the text via Lectio Divina, take one last deep breath and pray for illumination of the text:  Holy Spirit, light the candle in my lantern as I read and pray with the Holy Word.  Increase my trust as I listen to the movements of God in my reading and reflection.  Amen.

Step 1:  Read Matthew 4:1-4 (Contemporary English Version) with the "eyes of your heart."   What word or phrase calls for your attention in your reading?  What word or phrase is this week's "lantern in the desert" for you? 


The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, so that the devil could test him. After Jesus had gone without eating for forty days and nights, he was very hungry. Then the devil came to him and said, “If you are God’s Son, tell these stones to turn into bread.”  

Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say: ‘No one can live only on food. 

People need every word that God has spoken.’”

Step 2:  Read the passage again and Reflect ...
How does your lantern in the desert illuminate your life and the temptations you encounter in your hungers and appetites?  How is God inviting you to deepen your trust?

Step 3:  Read the passage again and Respond ...
What do you say to God about the insights you have discerned in your reading and reflection?   How do you pray when you consider how you are being invited to trust in God more deeply?

Step 4:  Rest ...
Come to a place of silence within yourself and just "be" with God.  Try for 10 minutes or beyond. When you are ready to move on,  pray:  

Holy Spirit, lead me deeper into a wandering wilderness this Lenten season but boldly light a Lantern in the Desert so that I may find my way with you.  Amen.

If art is a pathway to God for you, you may want to gaze upon this image ...and engage in visio divina ...

By William Hole [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 Read the Image ... Allow your eyes to seek softly what you are attracted to in the image.  Simply receive the gift of seeing.  What image within the image is drawing you in ... Allow yourself a few moments simply to sit with this gift.

Receive the Image ... Take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a receptive spirit.  After receiving, close your eyes and reflect by allowing your imagination to form that image in your consciousness ... what are you receiving from God through the image?  How does this illuminate your life right now?

Respond to God ... Now take a deep breath and gaze with soft eyes and a grateful spirit.  How do you sense yourself desiring to respond to God through the image you have received?  What would you say to God about what you are hearing, seeing, feeling?  Allow yourself to pray with gratitude ... 

Rest in God ... Now take a deep breath and rest ... notice how your body feels.  Is there something more here?  Then go back and repeat your "gazing" prayer.   If you feel that you have received all you need in this moment, simply rest in the silence and come to a place of shalom, peace, wholeness ... 

To end your time of Visio Divina ... Join Jesus in lifting up his Lantern in the Desert:

“The Scriptures say: ‘No one can live only on food. 

People need every word that God has spoken.’”