Theme: “Lord”
1. Lectio
Gospel: Mark 12:35-37
«David himself calls him ‘Lord’; so how is he his son?»
Jesus poses a question that unsettles easy answers. The scribes knew that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. Yet David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, calls the Messiah “Lord.” How can the Messiah be both David’s son and David’s Lord?
Jesus is not denying His humanity or His descent from David. Rather, He is revealing that He is more than a political heir or earthly king. His origin is transcendent. Before He is David’s son, He is David’s Lord.
The crowd listened to Him with delight because Jesus was opening a door beyond ordinary categories. God is always greater than our expectations, our systems, and our labels.
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2. Meditatio
Building a city founded on the common good implies, first and foremost, building upon a firm relationship with God. To do that I must know who He is. I must study God. That is theology.
Like Saint Augustine, I must confess:
«”You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”»
That word restless catches my attention.
Years ago, a bishop wrote concerning me:
«”There has been a lot of unrest in the Cathedral parish for the last few months; actually, in reality, for some decades… These were obviously made by ‘a few,’ emphasis on a few, souls that appear to be quite restless… Finally please pray for all who are restless: that they may find peace and tranquility.”»
I cannot honestly say those prayers have been fully answered. The same restlessness that troubled me then drives me to write this Lectio Divina today.
Yet perhaps the question is not whether I am restless, but whether my restlessness has a Lord.
There is a restlessness born of pride, resentment, and self-importance. But there is also a holy restlessness born of longing for truth, justice, communion, and God Himself.
Saint Augustine was restless. Saint Boniface was restless. The prophets were restless. The apostles were restless. The saints were rarely tranquil in the way the world understands tranquility. Their hearts were too occupied by the Lord to become comfortable with half-truths, compromises, or spiritual complacency.
The danger is not restlessness itself. The danger is allowing my restlessness to become lord over me rather than allowing Christ to be Lord over my restlessness.
Pope Leo reminds us that every human heart seeks happiness in all its dimensions. The Church recognizes this aspiration and seeks to guide it toward its deepest truth. My own longing for reform, transparency, justice, communion, and holiness can become destructive if detached from Christ. But when united to Him, even my restlessness may become a form of prayer.
Perhaps the real question is not whether I will find peace. The real question is whether I will allow the Lord to direct my unrest toward His Kingdom rather than my own.
For only when Christ is Lord can restlessness become pilgrimage instead of bitterness.
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3. Oratio
Lord Jesus Christ,
David called You Lord before he could fully understand who You were.
I confess that I often seek peace without first surrendering to Your lordship. I ask You to take possession of my restless heart.
When I become frustrated by failures within the Church, remind me that You remain Lord.
When I am tempted toward resentment, remind me that You remain Lord.
When I grow impatient for change, remind me that You remain Lord.
Give me the courage of Saint Boniface, who crossed cultures, endured opposition, and ultimately shed his blood because he recognized no earthly power above You.
Transform my unrest into fidelity, my questions into prayer, and my disappointments into deeper trust.
May I never seek tranquility apart from truth, nor truth apart from charity.
You alone are my Lord.
Amen.
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4. Contemplatio (Chestertonian Synthesis)
A man is always serving a lord, though he often imagines himself independent.
One man serves public opinion. Another serves ambition. Another serves comfort. Another serves outrage. The modern world boasts of freedom while producing an astonishing number of slaves.
The curious thing about Christ is that He is the only Lord who makes His servants free.
The scribes wanted a Messiah who would fit neatly into their expectations, a son of David who would behave according to their plans. Jesus shattered those expectations by being both David’s son and David’s Lord.
Saint Boniface understood this paradox. He ventured into pagan lands carrying neither armies nor wealth. His authority rested entirely upon the Lordship of Christ. When threatened with death, he did not reach for a sword. He reached for the Gospel.
The world often mistakes holiness for passivity and restlessness for rebellion. Yet there exists a holy unrest that keeps civilization alive. It is the refusal to accept lies as truth, division as communion, or idols as gods.
The saints are restless because they have seen eternity. Once a man has glimpsed the Kingdom of God, he becomes incapable of being fully satisfied with lesser kingdoms.
The solution is not to suppress the restless heart. The solution is to enthrone the proper Lord within it.
For the heart will always be restless until it rests in God, and even then it rests by continuing its pilgrimage deeper into His infinite love.
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5. Actio
Pope Francis reminds us:
«”We see this at many moments when our limits become tangible: when we face rejection, when we suffer the illness or loss of a loved one, when we encounter our own weakness or failure. Mysteriously, it is precisely in such moments that we can discover a new wisdom, tangibly experience the closeness of others and encounter the presence of the Lord.”»
Today I will examine one area of my life where rejection, disappointment, weakness, or failure continues to create unrest within me.
Rather than attempting to suppress it, I will bring it into prayer and ask:
“How is the Lord present here?”
In the spirit of synodality, I will seek not merely to speak but also to listen. I will recognize that the wisdom born of suffering often emerges through communion with others.
Like Saint Boniface, I will trust that the Lord is already at work in places that appear barren, resistant, or wounded.
My task is not to control outcomes but to remain faithful to the Lord who guides history toward His Kingdom.
Lectio Divina for the Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
