Awaken the second holy desire this Lent: Approach the Scriptures with a hunger to hear God’s living voice and grow in intimate knowledge of Him. Reject the unholy aversion to divine revelation that leaves the soul in darkness. In this 90-minute session, led by David L. Gray, encounter Christ’s real presence in the proclaimed Word, as the liturgy makes Him speak directly to your heart.

Session Outcomes

By day’s end, you’ll:

• Hear teachings on the sacramentality of God’s Word, where Christ is truly present and desires to be heard, akin to the Eucharist.
• Experience meditative listening to Scripture, fostering supernatural attentiveness prompted by grace.
• Learn to contrast the holy longing for truth with unholy indifference or rejection of revelation, understanding how the Word disposes us for Lenten conversion.
• Apply practices like the liturgical sense, integrating the Liturgy of the Word into study, contemplation, prayer, and liturgical living.

“Christ, truly present under the species of bread and wine, is analogously present in the word proclaimed in the liturgy… he speaks to us, and… wishes to be heard.” (Benedict XVI, Verbum Domini, no. 56.)

What You’ll Experience (90-Minute Breakdown)

1. Opening Prayer (0-10 min): Engage Psalm 119:105 (“Your word is a lamp for my feet”) and a Lenten Responsorial Psalm (e.g., from the day’s Mass), invoking the desire to heed God’s voice as the liturgy’s light.
2. Teaching Talk (10-40 min): Explore the holy desire to “listen attentively, interiorly receiving God’s Word as transformative grace essential for salvation.” Contrast with the unholy desire to ignore or resist revelation—acting as if sinless or self-sufficient, blocking faith’s light. In Lent, the Word confronts our frailty, calling us to metanoia; active participation yields graces as the Church restored the rites for fuller understanding. “The proclamation of God’s word at the celebration entails an acknowledgment that Christ himself is present, that he speaks to us.” Key insights: The Word’s sacramentality mirrors the Incarnation; faith perceives it through human words, entering salvation history.
3. Silent Reflection (40-60 min):
   • Practice the Liturgical Sense on a Lenten Gospel (e.g., temptation in the desert).
   • Journal: “How does aversion to God’s Word keep me from knowing Him?”
4. Group Sharing (60-80 min): In small breakouts, respond to: “What unholy distractions or self-justifications block your hearing God’s voice?” – moderated for encouragement and insight.
5. Closing & Commissioning (80-90 min): Prayer for docility to the Word; homework: Daily Mass readings with examen, noting revelations.

Why This Matters for Lent

The liturgy forms belief—”through a good understanding of the rites… take part… fully, actively”—equipping you to approach every Mass with eager ears, as St. Jerome warns against neglecting the Word like crumbs from the Eucharist. Emerge attuned to Christ’s voice, advancing in Lenten purification toward Easter joy.

Included: Digital workbook page with Psalm 119, liturgical sense guide, and Lenten reading plan. Prepare by reviewing the day’s Mass readings.