{"id":68920,"date":"2025-12-19T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/?p=68920"},"modified":"2025-12-19T14:24:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T20:24:49","slug":"advent-lectio-divina-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/praytellblog.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/19\/advent-lectio-divina-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Advent Lectio Divina"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">By S. Tamra Thomas, December 17, 2025<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This Advent, we are delighted to share the prayer, lectio, and work of four Sisters of St. Benedict\u2019s Monastery in St. Joseph, MN. Just down the road from Saint John\u2019s Abbey, they met regularly to read and pray, using the traditional Benedictine practice of Lectio Divina, with the Sunday Gospel.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sister Tamra reminds us this week that God doesn\u2019t promise an easy life. Mary and Joseph faced many difficulties because of their willingness to follow God\u2019s plan for them. If we are willing to follow God\u2019s plan for us, we, too, will be faced with difficulties. However, by saying yes to God and setting out on the journey, taking what we know and learning along the way, God will lead us to heights we can\u2019t even see. What is God asking you to say \u201cyes\u201d to today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Advent Reflection Series Week 4: Sr. Tamra Thomas\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uq-wz7X1bYw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/1?18\"><strong>Matthew 1:18-24<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.<br>When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,<br>but before they lived together,<br>she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.<br>Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,<br>yet unwilling to expose her to shame,<br>decided to divorce her quietly.<br>Such was his intention when, behold,<br>the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,<br>&#8220;Joseph, son of David,<br>do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.<br>For it is through the Holy Spirit<br>that this child has been conceived in her.<br>She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,<br>because he will save his people from their sins.&#8221;<br>All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:<br><em>Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,<br>and they shall name him Emmanuel,&nbsp;<\/em><br>which means &#8220;God is with us.&#8221;<br>When Joseph awoke,<br>he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him<br>and took his wife into his home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Sister Tamra<\/strong> is a member of Saint Benedict\u2019s Monastery in Saint Joseph, MN. Her main job is technology but she enjoys cake decorating and leather crafts in her spare time.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TAMRA THOMAS, OSB &#8212; Today we&#8217;re invited to consider St Joseph&#8217;s quiet but vitally important &#8220;yes&#8221;. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":68925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4189],"tags":[464,4230,112,3819,4232,4231],"class_list":["post-68920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lectio-divina","tag-advent","tag-advent-4","tag-lectio-divina","tag-obsculta-preaching-initiative","tag-sr-tamra-thomas","tag-st-joseph-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - 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