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 readin g 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.
As with all prayer we can practise Lectio Divina by ourselves or as part of a church community. More information is given about it below. You are also very welcome to come along to one of our weekly sessions 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. The length of each session will vary but as a rough guide will take around 30-40 minutes.
The practice of Lectio Divina
(The following is general guidance, which may alter slightly in a group setting.)
How to enter into Lectio Divina
Make sure you are sitting comfortably. If it helps you, then breathe slowly and deeply a couple of times. Before reading, pray that God will speak to you through the text that you are about to read. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.
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. Whatever we have chosen we work through from beginning to end, if necessary going over some parts more than once. What is important is that we do not manipulate the readings to fit into a particular system.
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. (In a group we may well use the gospel of the coming Sunday).
What do we do?
We read a short passage aloud (even if alone). Then we read it over again silently, slowly and carefully. Perhaps we read it many times. We savour it. We chew it over. We pray with it.
Lectio Divina is not bible study. So, being a great theologian is not an advantage. We are not looking for the theological meaning of the text but simply what God is saying to each of us, as an individual, in our daily life, at this moment! We look at the text as a gift from God, not as a problem to be dissected theologically. Lectio Divina is a conversation that God will begin with each individual.
So whether alone or in a group 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.
Lectio Divina gives us a space to respond to what we feel God is saying to us personally and helps us to encounter God in everyday life with all its joys, challenges and also the boring, uninteresting bits.
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>.
So, as mentioned above, 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.
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.
A bit more depth
There are four stages – Lectio (Reading), Meditatio (Meditation), Oratio (Prayer), Contemplatio (Contemplation). These 4 stages were ‘assembled’ by a monk called Guigo II, c1180. NB – these are not necessarily linear.
- Lectio: Read Aloud – slowly. Hear the Word. Hear God speaking to me.
- 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.
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. Just keep reading.
In a Group – Respond, if you feel like it. Just the word or phrase.
2nd reading of the passage Aloud. Ponder. Chew the cud for 5-6 minutes. Read the passage over again silently 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 look at what this word or phrase says to you.
In a 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 or contain the word I. It is not about what God is saying to us or what Jesus said to his disciples or the Pharisees. (How God speaks to us is the function of the priest to address to us as a parish community). Lectio Divina is what God is saying to me, now.
As you read the passage, talk to God about 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. Also anything that we hear from another we must keep confidential.
It is not a discussion or a study lesson. We do not 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’!
Confidentiality: whatever is shared in a group must remain confidential. We cannot reveal this to our family, friends, workmates, classmates, church congregation, religious leaders etc. We cannot even discuss it with other members of the group. We should treat anything revealed to be as confidential as we expect a priest to treat our confession.
3rd reading Aloud: Now may be a time for prayer; perhaps a time to just sit in wonder.
Of course, setting out the steps feels a bit mechanical and as said earlier they are not necessarily linear. In fact they should flow from one to another – and not necessarily in order, but particularly at the start we need some sort of discipline, some sort of structure to guide us, to help us. Although we start with Lectio (reading) the other steps can come in any order and can interweave.
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.
Further Reading and information
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 monk of the Strict Order of Cistercians) and Reading with God by David Foster OSB. Also in his book Finding Sanctuary, by Abbot 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.
Christopher Jamison, 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”.
Lectio Divina (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. It was encouraged by St Benedict in his Rule. Nowadays, this contemplative scriptural reading method has gained popularity in more secular environments.
Please also see Parish News on our parish website – Words of the Holy Father – in which Pope Francis talks about reading the bible and Lectio Divina. https://saintanneline.com/words-of-the-holy-father/
Sample Lectio: In order to try and make this a bit clearer I want to share some thoughts on this passage – John 1:29-34
(NB – This is not the only way to read this passage. You may have other, differing thoughts. This is just an example of one approach).
In this passage, above, John recognises the Lamb of God, the Messiah. What can I learn about Jesus from John’s description of Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God’?
Who is Jesus for me? (Who do you say I am? – Matthew 16:15)
Do I recognise Jesus in others? If so, how? Do others recognise Jesus in me? If so, how?
John was preparing for Jesus. Do I need to prepare for him? If so, how?
If the presence of the Holy Spirit was essential for Jesus’ ministry, what does this tell me about my need for the Holy Spirit’s presence? What is my experience of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life?
John came as a witness to Jesus. Am I a witness? If so, how?
Jesus was the Chosen one. Am I chosen? If so, for what?
…. Because God chose you…..(2 Thess 2:13-14)