[PREPARATIO – Basic Silence]

I come to a quiet and safe place. Alone. Still. Present.

Yesterday lingers: my heart restless, my mind chasing news from Korea, my soul unsettled by heavy rains. My eyes blurred, my memory faltered, my spirit wandered.

Two movements stir within me: to recall the past, or to rest in God’s presence now. I choose the present— to seek God here, not cling to yesterday’s shadows.

I pray with Sundar Singh:

“The world is so vast, yet it cannot satisfy the tiny human heart. Only in the Infinite God is peace found. As water is restless until it reaches its level, so the soul finds rest only in God.”

I lift my heart with George Matheson:

“Make me a captive, Lord, and then I shall be free. Imprison me within Your arms, and strong shall be my hand.”

[LECTIO – Reading the Word]

I breathe deeply. I open the Word: Psalm 103.

The words fall gently upon my soul:

“Let my whole being bless the Lord! Let everything inside me bless His holy name!”

“He forgives your sins—every one. He heals your diseases—every one. He redeems your life from the pit. He crowns you with love and mercy.”

“As far as east is from west, so far has He removed our sins from us.”

“As tender as a father with his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear Him.”

“All God’s creatures, bless the Lord! Everywhere, throughout His kingdom, let my whole being bless the Lord!”

The words echo: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not a single blessing.”

[MEDITATIO – Reflecting on the Word]

I let the words sink deeper. David’s psalm is both praise and memory— a festival song, a hymn for all creation.

God’s love is not distant. It is active, tender, unending. He forgives. He heals. He redeems. He crowns. He renews.

How easily I dredge up the past— old wounds, old sins. But God wipes the record clean.

To follow Him, I must forgive as He forgives— fully, freely, forgetting the sin.

We are fragile like grass, but His mercy endures forever.

St. Augustine reminds me:

“If we do not recognize our sins, we cannot receive grace.”

Yet in God’s mercy, even weakness is gathered up, transformed by compassion.

[ORATIO – Praying the Word]

So I pray:

Lord, let Your Word not only enter my ears, but my soul.

Your anger is not vengeance— it is justice tempered by mercy. Only the Cross reveals Your eternal love.

You know my weakness, my hidden impatience, my restless heart. And still, You embrace me.

All creation sings with joy— the wind, the trees, the stars.

Jonathan Edwards once said:

“The whole world rejoices and sings, embracing one another in love.”

So may I, too, rejoice in You.

[CONTEMPLATIO – Resting in the Word]

I enter silence. No words. No images. Just being with God.

Two pictures arise within me:

(1) A frame hangs on the wall— inside it, a painting of nature. When I step back, the frame becomes part of the landscape.

(2) I sit quietly with my two dogs. Simple. Peaceful. Loved.

I do not force meaning. I simply rest.

There is work to do— lawns to trim, gutters to clean, choir to prepare for.

But in this moment, I have peace. I have a home. I have God.

[INCARNATIO – Living the Word]

I open my eyes. I breathe again—slowly, deeply.

I lift my heart with the hymn:

“Draw me nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where You have died. Draw me nearer to Your bleeding side, where love flows without end.”

Yes— God is Love. And in His love, I live today.

© TaeHun Yoon, August 16, 2025