What is Lectio Divina?
We are living in a very busy world, constantly bombarded with news and information. There are countless events in our busy lives. Amidst all the hustle and bustle how do we find time to listen to God? One way is through the ancient practice of Lectio Divina (Divine Reading).
Lectio Divina is the ancient monastic art of praying with scripture. It is an art that helps us to listen to God by reading scripture prayerfully in the midst of our busy and often noisy lives. It is a technique of prayer and guide to living. Lectio Divina is a way of finding God in our heart. Come along to find out more and to try it out.
Lectio Divina sessions are held weekly on Fridays, in the parish hall, after the morning mass. We aim to finish by 11am.
What do we do?
We read a short passage more than once. We read it aloud (even if alone). We read it over slowly and carefully. We savour it. We chew it over. We pray with it. We look at the text as a gift from God, not as a problem to be dissected theologically.
Before reading, pray that God will speak to you through the text. Allow the reading to evolve into meditation, then into prayer and finally contemplation. Listen to what God is saying to you, now at this time, in the particular circumstances of this moment in your life. Listen with your heart, not your head. When the reading is concluded, keep some word or phrase with you throughout the day so that prayerful reading becomes prayerful living.
A bit more depth
You may by this stage want to know a little bit more about the practice. There are four stages – Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, Contemplatio ; Reading, Meditation, Prayer, Contemplation. (NB – these are not necessarily linear)
- Lectio: Read Aloud. Hear the Word – slowly. Hear Jesus speaking.
- Receive the word (meditatio) – a personal address from God to me. Listen to God.
- Respond – pray with the word (oratio). Converse with God.
- Wonder – (contemplatio) – love and adoration. Just ‘be’ with God.
There is, however, a fifth stage – Doing the word – action. Once we have heard God’s message then we need to do it, take action.
So whether alone or in a group then during Lectio, allow the reading to evolve into meditation, into prayer, into contemplation. When the reading is concluded, keep some word or phrase in mind. You may wish to repeat it throughout the day.
Thomas Cranmer in his Homily on Scripture ended it with an exhortation to read scripture in this way: “Let us ruminate, and, as it were, chew the cud, that we may have the sweet juice, spiritual effect, marrow, honey, kernel, taste, comfort and consolation of <the words>.
How to enter into Lectio Divina
Make sure you are sitting comfortably. Breathe slowly and deeply. Ask God to speak to you through the passage that you are about to read.
God wants to speak to us. God will do this through the Scriptures. So don’t worry about it. Don’t worry if nothing jumps out at you at first. God is patient. At some point you will be given something and led to understand its meaning, for you. If not today, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps next week when working, shopping, going to the cinema.
1st reading of the passage Aloud: (even when alone) to hear the Word of God. Not too much, just 6,7,8 lines, maybe 10.
Listen – hear the Word of God. 5-6 minutes read it over slowly to yourself a few times. As you read then listen for a word or phrase that attracts you. Sit in silence repeating the word or phrase in your head. If you hear nothing, don’t worry.
Group – Respond, if you feel like it. Just the word or phrase.
2nd reading of the passage Aloud. Ponder. Chew the cud 5-6 minutes. Read the passage over again and ask how this word or phrase speaks to you and why it connects with you. Remember, we are not looking for historical meaning. Is there something in your life now, today, to which it speaks? If you haven’t found a word or phrase yet keep reading, thinking, chewing. Offer it to God. Sit in silence and frame a single sentence that begins to say what this word or phrase says to you.
Group – Respond, if you feel like it. Just a word or sentence is fine. It could be about your family, work, church, social activity, study etc. All of your sentences should begin with I. It is not about what God is saying to us or what Jesus said to his disciples or the Pharisees. It is what God is saying to me, now.
3rd reading Aloud: Pray 3-4 minutes. Sit in wonder 4-5 minutes.
As you read the passage for the third time ask God what is being asked from you in this particular context. What is it that you need to do as a result of what God is saying to you in this word or phrase?
Response – In a group you may wish to share this. Please remember: Group Lectio involves an invitation to share but is not compulsory.
Anything that we hear from another we must keep confidential. It is not a discussion or a study lesson. We do not need to comment on what another person shares. We do not agree with or disagree with what another person says. All comments should be ‘I’ focused. It is not about ‘us’ or ‘you’. It is about ‘me’!
Of course, setting out the steps feels a bit mechanical and as I said earlier they are not necessarily linear. In fact they should flow but I think particularly at the start we need some sort of discipline, some sort of structure to guide us, to help us.
Further Reading
If you are interested in learning more about Lectio Divina there are a large number of resources available both online and in books. A couple of recommended books are : Sacred Reading by Michael Casey (a Cistercian monk) and Reading with God by David Foster OSB. Also in his book Finding Sanctuary, by Christopher Jamison OSB, there is a chapter devoted to Lectio Divina and also an epilogue giving his Lectio reflections on the parable of the Prodigal Son.
Lectio Divina (Latin which is often translated as Divine Reading) is the practice of reading scripture to enter into communion with God. This meditative form of prayer aims at gaining a deeper understanding of God’s Word. It was formerly considered an exclusively traditional monastic practice. Like many of the contemplative practices it can be traced back to the Desert Mothers and Fathers. Encouraged by St Benedict in his Rule. Nowadays, this contemplative scriptural reading method has gained popularity in more secular environments.
Christopher Jamison OSB, wrote in Finding Sanctuary about the three key features of Lectio Divina: The first is that “the text is seen as a gift to be received, not a problem to be dissected….. let the text come to you.” The second is that the Lectio Divina tradition “teaches us that in order to receive what the text has to offer we must read slowly.” The third is that Lectio Divina is “a way of prayer. Before reading, pray that God will speak to you through the text.
So, Lectio Divina is not Bible study. It is an understanding that Scripture is a meeting place for a personal encounter with God. We believe that Christ is present in scripture. God comes forth to speak lovingly with us on a personal level.
So that’s Why we do Lectio Divina – to encounter God. Next is What do we read? The simple answer is some sacred scripture – but we read everything in our chosen book from the start omitting nothing. If we are reading alone a good place to begin for those new to the practice is with one of the gospels – perhaps Mark’s is the easiest.
Also we are not racing to finish the passage or the book. We can take 6 months, 9 months, a year, longer. We can read so far, go back, read a bit more, go back and so on – a bit like painting a wall. We just take the time to Listen to God.