Lectio Divina
Introduction:
Divina?
What
is
Lectio
The term lectio divina is Latin for divine reading. It is an
ancient method of prayer that helps us to encounter our Lord
in Scripture. It is not simply a way to meditate on what God
has already revealed to us in a text that we Christians hold
as divinely inspired, but it is a real encounter with Jesus,
who is the living Word made flesh, and who continues to speak
to us today.
In His goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal Himself and to
make known to us the hidden purpose of His will (see Eph 1:9)
by which through Christ, the Word made flesh, man might in
the Holy Spirit have access to the Father and come to share
in the divine nature (see Eph 2:18; 2 Pet 1:4). Through this
revelation, therefore, the invisible God (see Col 1;15, 1 Tim
1:17) out of the abundance of His love speaks to us as
friends (see Ex 33:11; Jn 15:14-15) and lives among us (see
Bar 3:38), so that He may invite and take us into fellowship
with Himself. … By this revelation then, the deepest truth
about God and the salvation of man shines out for our sake in
Christ, who is both the mediator and the fullness of all
revelation. (See Mt 11:27; Jn 1:14 and 17; 14:6; 17:1-3; 2
Cor 3:16 and 4, 6; Eph 1, 3-14.)
Dei Verbum §2 (en|es)
Through one of the Church’s most authoritative teachings – the
Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine
Revelation – we are assured that God has revealed to us his
desire to be with us. We even read that he wants us to share
in his divine nature! Perhaps because we have heard it said
over and over again that “God loves us,” we make the common
mistake of letting it fall on deaf ears. Perhaps we do not see
the relevance of Jesus’ suffering and death in our life today.
Or perhaps we don’t stop to consider the reality of oft-quoted
scriptures such as John 3:16, “For God so loved the world….”
If we make a habit of encountering Jesus through Scripture, we
will be less likely to make these mistakes. We will see not
only how Jesus loves us (and showed us this love through his
suffering and death), we will also see that he LIKES US! He
calls us FRIENDS (Jn 15:15)! Yes, it is proper and good for us
Christians to see Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb, as Teacher,
and as our Lord, for truly he is. But when we also see Jesus
as Friend, we see a fuller picture of how we are loved by God.
Lectio divina offers a forum for building a stronger
relationship with our Lord. It offers a prayer experience that
is more like a dialogue, rather than a monologue in which we
primarily express our own desires. It makes us more aware
of the ways in which Scripture continues to speak to us today.
We know that “the word of God is living and effective” (Heb
4:12), and when we come to know the word through prayer, we
can expect to encounter the word in the midst of ordinary life
experiences. We begin to see Jesus in our relationship with
others, and in our daily activities.
History
Lectio divina has its roots deep in the oldest traditions
handed down by the People of God who believe that the Word of
God always has something to say to us at present. At its
origins, this spiritual exercise was not so much a method as a
typical way of hearing and receiving the Word of God. In Old
Testament times, for example, Israel listened to the Word of
God proclaimed, was instructed in it, and prayed with it in
order to draw closer to God (see Neh 8; Dt 30:14). This
practice remained central in the earliest Christian
communities; it took on even greater weight with the
revelation of Jesus Christ and his proclamation of the Holy
Spirit: “The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,
he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your
remembrance” (Jn 14,26: 16,13). In fact, the New Testament
itself could only have been written through the early
Christians’ deep relationship with and meditation upon the
Hebrew Scriptures, in light of their immediate experiences.
The early Church Fathers practiced lectio divina and
encouraged other Christians to do likewise in their homes,
considering it as a means of salvation, a holy “tabernacle” in
which the faithful could encounter the beloved. The centrality
of Scripture was likened to a fount that alone could provide
the sustenance needed in the life of faith and insight into
divine things.
With the establishment of the earliest monastic communities,
lectio divina took on an organizing role in the monk’s very
way of life, whether in the desert or in the monastery. By the
time of 6th-century St. Benedict, for example, the ongoing
meditation upon Scripture had become a regular practice, the
goal of which was to transform the monk himself into a word of
God for others.
As scholastic interests grew in the middle ages, Scriptural
reading witnessed an accompanying shift in which
lectio
divina too took on theological purposes. Practitioners of
lectio began to use it to distil Scriptural principles that
could respond to philosophical problems. This development
influenced a distinction between “monastic” and “scholastic”
approaches. It was also around this time (ca. 1150) that
Carthusian monk Guigo II identified four stages he saw as
essential to lectio divina: lectio (reading), meditatio
(meditation), contemplatio (contemplation) and oratio
(prayer). It is these four steps that generally characterize
the practice of lectio today.
In modern times, the Church has encouraged lectio divina as a
source of strength, stability and nourishment for the inner
life of both individuals and communities. Rooted in ancient
practices, newer forms of lectio divina have developed, such
as praying the Scriptures in common. By participating in a
tradition that extends back to the origins of the Bible
itself, the People of God can enter into a conversation with
God that has been taking place for thousands of years.
How-To
There are many ways to practice this prayer style, but this
video offers one way that’s specifically suitable for the
average busy lay-person.
https://vimeo.com/169619612
Quick Reference:
1. READ OUT LOUD
After choosing a scripture reading, perhaps the Gospel
of the day, read it out loud. Once you finish it, start
again. (This step is traditionally called lectio)
2. REPEAT
Repeatedly read the whole passage until one word or
phrase begins to stand out. Then focus on that part
alone, and repeat it out loud until it’s committed to
memory. It is important to avoid questioning or judging
why it sticks out, simply accept it as the Word that is
being
spoken
to
you.
(This
step
is
traditionally called meditatio)
3. PRAY
After a while, all other thoughts begin to go away and
your left with the Word alone: your recitation becomes a
mantra-prayer, and you receive the words as our Lord
speaking
to
you.
(This
step
is
traditionally called oratio)
4. BE STILL
When you feel it to be appropriate, simply sit with our
Lord in silence. When you sense that the prayer is
coming to an end, simply thank the Lord, and move on
with your day, holding his Word in your heart. (This
step is traditionally called contemplatio)
Resources
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2558-2758, “Prayer in the
Christian Life”
Order of Saint Benedict
Specific resources on the discipline of lectio divina
suggested by the order that has made the reading of
Sacred Scripture central to its very existence
Reading material that can fruitfully be used in the
practice of lectio divina, compiled by the OSB
Contemplative Outreach
A wonderful list of books on lectio divina from authors as
renown as Thomas Keating and Thomas Merton
Our Sunday Visitor
A springboard to a number of articles and books published by
one of our collaborators
Bible Gateway
An online shop offering a range of resources for purchase,
suitable for various audiences from youth and adults, and
which features certain editions in Spanish
Review
The following course review is intended to help reinforce the
main points of this lesson. It can be taken as many times as
you would like. You may wish to open the review in a new tab
or new window in order to refer back to the contents of
the lesson. The easiest way to do that is to context-click
(right-click, or command+click on a Mac) and then click on
“open link in new tab/window.”