What is Lectio Divina?

2. The Direction of Intention My God, give me the grace to perform this action with youand through love for you.In advance, I offer to you all the good that I will do and acceptall the difficulty I may meet therein. St. Ann, Pray for us St. Francis de Sales, Pray for us.

3. What is Lectio Divina? • Latin for Divine Reading • A traditional Christian practice of scriptural reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's Word. • What it is NOT • Academic study of Scripture • Bible Study and faith sharing • A simple interior spiritual practice

4. Where did it come from? • The roots of this practice date from the early 2nd century • Origen in the 3rd Century firsts writes about its practice • Teaches it to St. Ambrose who in turn teaches it to St. Augustine • Quickly spreads among the women and men of the desert (Mary of Egypt and Anthony of the Desert) and early monasteries of both the east and west.

5. Where did it come from? • Middle Ages • Practiced by monks, nuns, laity and clerics • 14th century - Gerard of Zutphen Dutch lay man and mystic writes On Spiritual Ascents • 16th century – Martin Luther advises the practice • The Present • 20th century – Pope Paul VI and Pope Benedict XVI recommend the laity should undertake the practice of Lectio Divina

7. How does one practice it? • Beginning: Silence • Finding a place to pray • Free from distractions • A consistent time • “Hear, O Israel!” – The need to listen • Lectio – The Reading • Reverential listening • Listening both in a spirit of silence and of awe. • We are listening for the still, small voice of God that will speak to us personally - not loudly, but intimately. • Slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God's word for us this day

8. How does one practice it? • Meditation • ONCE WE have found a word or a passage in the Scriptures that speaks to us in a personal way • “Ruminate” – Like a cow! • The Virgin Mary “pondering in her heart” what she saw and heard of Christ (Luke 2:19). • Take in the word - that is, memorize it - and while gently repeating it to ourselves, allow it to interact with our thoughts, our hopes, our memories, our desires. • We allow God's word to become His word for us, a word that touches us and affects us at our deepest levels.

9. How do we do it? • Prayer – Dialogue and Consecration • Dialogue • Both speaking and Listening • Consecration • In Baptism we are set apart as Priest, prophet and King • All prayer is made because of the priestly role we assume at our baptism • In this consecration-prayer we allow the word that we have taken in touch and change our deepest selves. • We hold up our most difficult and pain-filled experiences to Him, and to gently recite over them the healing word or phrase He has given us in our reading. • In consecration-prayer, we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God.

10. How do we do it? • Contemplation • FINALLY, WE simply rest in the presence of the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His transforming embrace. • Wordless, quiet rest in the presence of the One Who loves us has a name in the Christian tradition - contemplation. • Once again we practice silence, letting go of our own words; this time simply enjoying the experience of being in the presence of God.

11. Something more? • Many early Christians added a final step • Resolution • A decision to bring the internal to the external, • Contemplative and Active • Could be as simple as a resolve to recall throughout the day what it was we did during Lectio Divina • A resolution to put into practice in some small or large way what it was we reflected on.

12. Some Suggestions • Personal Practice • Communal Practice • Taking the Sunday Readings • Or part of them as a starting point • The Passion Narratives – during Lent • The Resurrection Accounts during Easter • The Infancy Narratives during Advent/Christmas