LECTIO DIVINA

1. LECTIO DIVINA Praying God’s Word

2. Where does it come from? • Israel prayed the Word and used the Word to pray, c.f Nehemiah chapter 8 • He explained the scriptures to them…this is the forerunner of lectio • Generations of Christians continued praying this way (2Tim 3:14-16) • The Fathers of the Church encouraged Christians to pray this way in their homes

3. Where does it come from? • Monks made lectio the centre of their lives • Successive generations of novices were taught this simple method as the staple diet of their prayer • Lapsed into disuse in the Local Church • Revived at Vatican II as not only a monastic way of praying but also for anyone

4. 4 Simple Stages • Lectio – Reading • Meditatio – Reflection • Oratio – Responding • Contemplatio - Resting

5. Lectio -Reading • Open the Bible and read the text • Never open it at random • Follow the cycle of readings in the lectionary • Then you are reading with the whole Church • Do not jump around from text to text

6. Lectio -Reading • One Passage • One episode • A few small verses are more than enough Enzo Bianci, Praying the Word, p.93.

7. Lectio -Reading • Questions to ask: • What’s going on? • What strikes you about the passage? • Details? • Actions?

8. Lectio -Reading • Reading out loud is best • God is speaking to you or the group that is praying • Notice • Watch out for details Chris O’Donnell, With the Word of God, p.10

9. Meditatio - Reflecting • Deepen the message you have read • Find out what God wants to communicate to you • Your not looking for knowledge but insight! • The Word will discern the state of your heart • You need to listen in amazement

10. Meditatio - Reflecting • You should wonder – what is it saying to me, to us now? • What phrase do you like, why does it draw you? • How does the text speak to you in the various places and situations you find yourself in?

11. Oratio - Response • When we hear God’s word as personal to us • The we want to pray • We become aware that we are in dialogue with God • In the first stage we are trying to understand the text • Then we hope that the Holy Spirit will help us to understand how the text is related to us

12. Oratio - Response • We can speak to God in our own words • We can use a few words • Phrases from the passage • The important thing is that we make this our own

13. Oratio - Response • This is what Enzo Bianchi says: • Now speak to God • Respond to God’s invitation • Do you see that you have been welcomed into the very heart of God • Why stop at being an onlooker? • Enter the conversation and speak as a friend speaks to a friend

14. Oratio - Response • Meditation was only for the sake of this moment of prayer • Now you’ve arrived • Don’t be self-conscious • Be wholly conscious of the face of God which shines forth from the text.

15. Contemplation - Rest • Finally we stay with the text • We have been listening, thinking and speaking • Now it is time for rest • We stay with a single idea that has struck us • Like picking a single flower from a garden or field to a a nice long look at it • Take this single phrase as a message for today

16. Contemplation - Rest • Lectio Divina leads you to experience God in joy, in wonder and in self-forgetfulness • The word opens a passage way into our hearts • Store up what you have seen, heard and tasted in lectio divina

17. Guigo the Carthusian • Reading – the soul begins to bite and chew upon this grape • Reflection- goes to the heart of the matter, wisdom comes slowly from God • Response- reading and meditation help me to know you and communicate with you • Rest – burning words inflame the spirit