Lectio Divina: becoming a Word of God
Lectio Divina is an ancient practice of praying the Scriptures which literally means “divine reading”. During Lectio Divina, the practitioner listens to the text of the Bible with the “ear of the heart” as if he or she is in conversation with God, and God is suggesting the topics for discussion. The words of Scripture come alive and in spontaneous ways lead to a deepening relationship with the Divine Presence – who speaks out of the silence.
Like Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina cultivates contemplative prayer and can be especially effective following a period of Centering Prayer.
Unlike Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina is a participatory, active practice that uses thoughts, images and insights to enter into a conversation with God.
Guidelines (also suitable for use in groups)
Reading (Lectio): Read a Scripture passage listening with the “ear of your heart.”
What word of phrase captures your attention?
Repeat it gently.
Reflecting (Meditatio): Reflect on and relish the words. Be attentive to what resounds or speaks to your heart.
What might God be drawing your attention to or inviting you to do?
Responding (Oratio): As listening deepens, allow responses to arise spontaneously – any small prayer of praise or thanksgiving; a question, a petition….
Resting In (Contemplatio): Just be. Simply “be with” God’s presence as you open to deeper meanings of the Word of God for you. Be open to this resting moment at any time during the Lectio – it is similar to the deep resting that may be experienced in Centering Prayer.
The History of Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is an ancient practice from the Christian contemplative heritage. It was made a regular practice in monasteries by the time of St. Benedict in the 6th century. The classical practice of Lectio Divina can be divided into two forms: monastic and scholastic.
The scholastic form was developed in the Middle Ages and divides the process of Lectio Divina into four hierarchical, consecutive steps: reading, reflecting, responding and resting.
The monastic form of Lectio Divina is a more ancient method in which reading, reflecting, responding and resting are experienced as moments rather than steps in a process. In this form, the interaction among the moments is dynamic and the movement through the moments follows the spontaneous prompting of the Holy Spirit. To allow for this spontaneity, Lectio Divina was originally practiced in private.
The current resurgence of Lectio Divina owes much to the reforms of Vatican II and the world-wide revival of the contemplative dimension of Christianity. Today, Lectio Divina is practiced both in monasteries and also by lay people around the world. New practices have also been inspired by the ancient practice of Lectio Divina, such as praying the scriptures in common, which uses the scholastic form of Lectio Divina for a group experience of praying the scriptures. Also Lectio Divina in Nature, and Visio Divina which uses visual images and icons in prayer.
Though the method of Lectio Divina has taken slightly different forms throughout the centuries, the purpose has remained the same: to enter into a conversation with God and cultivate the gift of contemplation.
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