Lectio the Liturgy: Sunday, June 28, 2026

Julie Storr shares a reflection on the Collect for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.

This week we practice Lectio Divina with the Collect for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time. In this week’s prayer, two words are transposed from the Latin, and what a difference it makes.

O God, who through the grace of adoption chose us to be children of light, grant, we pray, that we may not be wrapped in the darkness of error but always be seen to stand in the bright light of truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

Entering the Light

What an amazing “who” phrase: "God, who through the grace of adoption, chose us to be children of light."

In Latin, the word for “chose” is voluisti — stronger than simply “choose.” It means to will or to desire. God didn’t just choose us — He willed it. He wanted us to be children of light.

This light (lux in Latin) refers to God Himself. As we read in 1 John 1:5, “God is light.” Through adoption, we become children of that same light.

Here is where the Latin and English differ most significantly. In English we pray “the grace of adoption,” but in Latin it is “the adoption of grace.”

At first this seems like a small change, but it actually shifts the subject. Instead of grace being described by adoption, adoption is described by grace. In this adoption, God’s grace changes our very nature. We are now able to choose to step out of the darkness of error.

This darkness is a dangerous place. A person can be so wrapped up in sin that they no longer recognize it — or, even worse, they recognize it and still choose to remain there.

Recently I’ve heard people say their life feels out of control, as if they’re watching it like a movie. Some have even blamed God for what has happened. That sense of helplessness and accusation is exactly what being “wrapped in the darkness of error” looks like. They cannot see beyond their circumstances and may not even want to. Instead of recognizing that many of their struggles flow from their own choices and free will, they remain stuck.

Perhaps the thought of acknowledging their sin and coming before God feels overwhelming. Yet while God offers us the grace of adoption, it is up to us to accept the adoption of grace.

We often see John 3:16 on people or signs when we watch sporting events on television, but I find the next verse, John 3:17, even more powerful: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (NABRE).

The Adoption of Grace

That, my friend, is the adoption of grace. Even though we are wrapped in darkness, God does not condemn us. Instead, He gives us far more than we deserve. We become His children, and in that relationship we receive enlightenment — we begin to see our errors clearly. God meets us with a heart always ready to forgive. We discover that only by His grace can our lives be made right.

The bright light of truth is a place unlike any on earth. This light casts every shadow away. Its warmth is not only welcoming — it is embracing. How can this be? Because the bright light of truth is Christ Himself, and His arms are always open, reaching out to welcome us home.

Lectio the Liturgy Sunday June 14, 2026-3