What is Lectio Divina?
The Psalms start with an invitation, “Blessed is the one... whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:1, 3). A life of delighting in and meditating on the Scriptures is one that leads to blessing, as we not only learn the way of life through them but we also encounter God. We believe that just as the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors to write what they did in the Scriptures, he also illuminates our reading of them today - speaking to us through the text. While the Spirit is with us whenever we read, there is a particularly prayerful way of reading the Scriptures that allows us to be more attentive to him as we read. This is way is called Lectio Divina.
Lectio Divina (Latin for Divine Reading) is an ancient way of slowly and prayerfully reading the Scriptures. In Lectio you do what the Psalmist calls meditating on the text. The Hebrew meaning of the word meditate is to chew on the text much like a dog chews on a bone. In Lectio, we go slow and we repeatedly read a passage, giving space for the Spirit to bring things to our minds and draw us deeper into life with him. This is not a practice for studying the Scriptures, but one of learning how to better listen to the voice of God through them.
The goal of Lectio is communing with God through the gift of Scriptures and knowing Jesus better through the work of the Spirit - not to read a lot. This is not a way to get through large sections of Scriptures, but instead to engage deeply with a shorter passage, story, or even just a verse.
We want to learn how to be prayerful people and part of that is learning how to hear God and respond to him when he speaks. As the word of God comes to us, we want to learn how to be more and more receptive to him.
Since the goal of this practice is communing with the Spirit, don't be frustrated if it feels like you're not hearing or that nothing is coming to mind. The practice may come easily to you, or it may be difficult, but know this: no time spent in prayer or in the Scriptures is wasted.
How to Practice Lectio Divina
Find yourself a quiet space. preferably as free from distractions as possible. Perhaps you can light a candle to help you focus. Read the passage aloud, or you if you have audio Bible (the bible app has many free ones) have it read it to you.
Step 1 | Silencio (Ready)
Silence yourself before God, taking a few deep breaths to slow yourself down. Pray and ask for him to be present with you, giving you ears to hear what He has for you today.
Step 2 | Lectio (Read)
Read the passage slowly and carefully.
What images or words stand out as you hear/read the text?
Step 3 | Meditatio (Reflect)
Read the passage a second time. Take time to sit in the passage and engage it with your imagination. Pay attention to the details. Repeat the main words or phrases that are sticking out to you.
What might the Spirit be inviting you to receive from this text?
Step 4 | Oratio (Respond)
Read the passage a third time. Ask the Holy Spirit for understanding of what he is saying.
What might the Spirit be inviting us to do or put into practice as individuals and/or as a community through this text?
Step 5 | Contemplatio (Rest)
Have a period of silence focusing on what stuck out to you from the text. Pray or journal about it. Take some time in gratitude, thanking the Spirit for the gift of the Scriptures and for meeting with you.
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