The following blog was contributed by award-winning author, speaker and teacher, Amy J. Cattapan. Follow her at AJCattapan.com.
As teachers and catechists scramble to continue faith-based education during this time of stay-at-home orders, a new TV show about Jesus and his disciples offers a unique way to introduce middle school and high school students to the practice of Lectio Divina. This ancient form of prayer dates back to early monastic times when many could not read. A scripture passage was repeated several times for meditation and prayer. Traditionally, Lectio Divina has four parts: lectio (reading), meditatio (meditation), contemplatio (contemplation), and oratio (prayer).
So how does a TV show fit into all this? The Chosen is the first multi-season TV show to be made about Jesus and his disciples. Several familiar Gospel stories from the beginning of Jesus’s ministry are depicted in Season 1, and the producers have made five of these scenes available for viewing on YouTube, giving teachers easy access to sharing them with their students while practicing remote learning. Using a variation on Lectio Divina, teachers can incorporate these short video clips into lessons designed to help students dig deeper into Scripture.
Grab your Bible and play along as I guide you through a deep dive into Mark 1:40-45 (The Cleansing of a Leper). You may wish to open this worksheet I’ve created for instructors to use with students.
Step 1 – Lectio (reading)
Begin by reading Mark 1:40-45. Read it slowly and deliberately. Then spend a few minutes jotting down your initial impressions of the scene.
Step 2 – Meditatio (meditation)
Read the scene again. This time pretend you are a movie director, and it is your job to dramatize the healing of the leper. As you read, meditate on how you are going to film this scene. What might you tell the actor playing Jesus? How should the actor playing the leper portray his part? Are there other characters standing nearby? Who are they and what are their reactions to this miraculous scene? Jot down your ideas on the worksheet.
Step 3 – Contemplatio (contemplation)
Watch how this scene is portrayed in The Chosen. Contemplate the decisions made by director Dallas Jenkins and the actors who portray Jesus, the leper, and the disciples. Write down your reactions in the third section.
Step 4 – Oratio (prayer)
Did their performances change the way you feel about this Gospel story? In the fourth section, write down a prayer to God in which you share with him how this story makes you feel about Jesus.
Hungry for more? Here are four other scenes available on YouTube and their corresponding Gospel passages:
- The Miracle of the Fish (Luke 5:1-11) – Watch the video clip here. Download the worksheet here.
- The Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1-11) – Watch the video clip here. Download the worksheet here.
- Jesus Heals the Paralytic (Mark 2:1-12) – Watch the video clip here. Download the worksheet here.
- Jesus Heals Simon’s Mother-in-Law (Matthew 8:14-15) – Watch the video clip here. Download the worksheet here.
