31 Days of God's Love-Call

What do you hear when you read Gods word in the Bible? I hear a very long love letter. The Bible as a whole can be read in this simple message from God: I made you I know you and I love you. This can be a message of great consolation. If I am aware of not living as if God loves me it can nudge as a challenge not to be better to earn Gods love but a reminder of my desire to live a fidelity response to Gods complete love for me. It has been an honor to journey with many good folks in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola in At-Home Retreats and in spiritual direction. The first part of the exercises is to sit with intention in the reality of Gods provision and love. This means letting God say and repeat I love you. These 31 Old Testament passages rendered here without commentary can help let this message sink into ones being. Though most of them are psalms and canticles to sing to God as scripture they are also meant to be read as part of Gods revelation; so whether the words are addressed to God to someone else or to the reader we can hear them as Gods love letter to us. The ancient way of listening to God in lectio divina can be as simple as choosing a word or phrase or image from the passage sitting with it perhaps without thinking about it and breathing to listen. All Gods Blessings Rev. Steve Wolf