Pope Francis established the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time as the “Word of God Sunday,” in order to put more emphasis on the holy word of God and how it can have a real impact on our lives.

One way to do that is to pray with scripture, opening ourselves up to God’s inspiration through our reading of it.

Guigo the Carthusian instructed his monks in Scala Paradisi how to do this type of prayer.

“Prayer is a devout desiring of the heart to get what is good and avoid what is evil…[After meditating on God’s word]…fall down meekly with a lowly heart to pray, and say, ‘Lord…I have done what is in me to do, read and thought deeply and searched what it is and in what manner…I might somewhat know you. Lord, I have sought and thought with all my poor heart; and, Lord, in my meditation the fire of desire kindles to know you, not only the bitter bark without, in feeling and tasting in my soul. Lord, this worthiness I ask not for myself…But as much, Lord, as the puppy eats of the crumbs that fall from the board of the lord, I ask of the heritage that is to come one drop of the heavenly joy to comfort my thirsty soul that burns in love-longing to you.’”

In this way of praying, we allow God’s word to form our heart, so that we can act in the world with a heart like his. The more we read scripture, the more we recognize how God calls us to action, following in his footsteps, and formulating a plan to confront the challenges facing humanity.

• Philip Kosloski

Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (USA & Canada)