Posted on 12/30/2008 12:58:37 PM PST by NYer
A VERY ANCIENT art, practiced at one time by all Christians, is the technique known as lectio divina - a slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures which enables the Bible, the Word of God, to become a means of union with God. This ancient practice has been kept alive in the Christian monastic tradition, and is one of the precious treasures of Benedictine monastics and oblates. Together with the Liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us to discover in our daily life an underlying spiritual rhythm. Within this rhythm we discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves and our relationships to the Father, and to accept the embrace that God is continuously extending to us in the person of his Son Jesus Christ. Lectio - reading/listening T
THE CRY of the prophets to ancient Israel was the joy-filled command to Listen! Sh'ma Israel: Hear, O Israel! In lectio divina we, too, heed that command and turn to the Scriptures, knowing that we must hear - listen - to the voice of God, which often speaks very softly. In order to hear someone speaking softly we must learn to be silent. We must learn to love silence. If we are constantly speaking or if we are surrounded with noise, we cannot hear gentle sounds. The practice of lectio divina, therefore, requires that we first quiet down in order to hear God's word to us. This is the first step of lectio divina, appropriately called lectio - reading.
THE READING or listening which is the first step in lectio divina is very different from the speed reading which modern Christians apply to newspapers, books and even to the Bible. Lectio is 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. In lectio we read slowly, attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God's word for us this day. Meditatio - meditation O Oratio - prayer
THE THIRD step in lectio divina is oratio - prayer: prayer understood both as dialogue with God, that is, as loving conversation with the One who has invited us into His embrace; and as consecration, prayer as the priestly offering to God of parts of ourselves that we have not previously believed God wants. In this consecration-prayer we allow the word that we have taken in and on which we are pondering to touch and change our deepest selves. Just as a priest consecrates the elements of bread and wine at the Eucharist, God invites us in lectio divina to 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 lectio and meditatio. In this oratio, this consecration-prayer, we allow our real selves to be touched and changed by the word of God. Contemplatio - contemplation F
2. THE UNDERLYING RHYTHM of LECTIO DIVINA |
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F WE are to practice lectio divina effectively, we must travel back in time to an understanding that today is in danger of being almost completely lost. In the Christian past the words action (or practice, from the Greek praktikos) and contemplation did not describe different kinds of Christians engaging (or not engaging) in different forms of prayer and apostolates. Practice and contemplation were understood as the two poles of our underlying, ongoing spiritual rhythm: a gentle oscillation back and forth between spiritual activity with regard to God and receptivity.P
RACTICE - spiritual activity - referred in ancient times to our active cooperation with God's grace in rooting out vices and allowing the virtues to flourish. The direction of spiritual activity was not outward in the sense of an apostolate, but inward - down into the depths of the soul where the Spirit of God is constantly transforming us, refashioning us in God's image. The active life is thus coming to see who we truly are and allowing ourselves to be remade into what God intends us to become.I
N THE early monastic tradition contemplation was understood in two ways. First was theoria physike, the contemplation of God in creation - God in the many. Second was theologia, the contemplation of God in Himself without images or words - God as The One. From this perspective lectio divina serves as a training-ground for the contemplation of God in His creation.I
N CONTEMPLATION we cease from interior spiritual doing and learn simply to be, that is to rest in the presence of our loving Father. Just as we constantly move back and forth in our exterior lives between speaking and listening, between questioning and reflecting, so in our spiritual lives we must learn to enjoy the refreshment of simply being in God's presence, an experience that naturally alternates (if we let it!) with our spiritual practice.I
N ANCIENT times contemplation was not regarded as a goal to be achieved through some method of prayer, but was simply accepted with gratitude as God's recurring gift. At intervals the Lord invites us to cease from speaking so that we can simply rest in his embrace. This is the pole of our inner spiritual rhythm called contemplation.H
OW DIFFERENT this ancient understanding is from our modern approach! Instead of recognizing that we all gently oscillate back and forth between spiritual activity and receptivity, between practice and contemplation, we today tend to set contemplation before ourselves as a goal - something we imagine we can achieve through some spiritual technique. We must be willing to sacrifice our goal-oriented approach if we are to practice lectio divina, because lectio divina has no other goal than spending time with God through the medium of His word. The amount of time we spend in any aspect of lectio divina, whether it be rumination, consecration or contemplation depends on God's Spirit, not on us. Lectio divina teaches us to savor and delight in all the different flavors of God's presence, whether they be active or receptive modes of experiencing Him.I
N lectio divina we offer ourselves to God; and we are people in motion. In ancient times this inner spiritual motion was described as a helix - an ascending spiral. Viewed in only two dimensions it appears as a circular motion back and forth; seen with the added dimension of time it becomes a helix, an ascending spiral by means of which we are drawn ever closer to God. The whole of our spiritual lives were viewed in this way, as a gentle oscillation between spiritual activity and receptivity by means of which God unites us ever closer to Himself. In just the same way the steps or stages of lectio divina represent an oscillation back and forth between these spiritual poles. In lectio divina we recognize our underlying spiritual rhythm and discover many different ways of experiencing God's presence - many different ways of praying.
3. THE PRACTICE of LECTIO DIVINA |
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Private Lectio Divina
CHOOSE a text of the Scriptures that you wish to pray. Many Christians use in their daily lectio divina one of the readings from the Eucharistic liturgy for the day; others prefer to slowly work through a particular book of the Bible. It makes no difference which text is chosen, as long as one has no set goal of covering a certain amount of text: the amount of text covered is in God's hands, not yours. P T N T F S Lectio Divina as a Group Exercise
THE most authentic and traditional form of Christian lectio divina is the solitary or private practice described to this point. In recent years, however, many different forms of so-called group lectio have become popular and are now widely-practiced. These group exercises can be very useful means of introducing and encouraging the practice of lectio divina; but they should not become a substitute for an encounter and communion with the Living God that can only take place in that privileged solitude where the biblical Word of God becomes transparent to the Very Word Himself - namely private lectio divina.
IN churches of the Third World where books are rare, a form of corporate lectio divina is becoming common in which a text from the Scriptures is pondered by Christians praying together in a group. The method of group lectio divina described here was introduced at St. Andrew's Abbey by oblates Doug and Norvene Vest: it is used as part of the Benedictine Spirituality for Laity workshops conducted at the Abbey each summer.
THIS FORM of lectio divina works best in a group of between four and eight people. A group leader coordinates the process and facilitates sharing. The same text from the Scriptures is read out three times, followed each time by a period of silence and an opportunity for each member of the group to share the fruit of her or his lectio.
THE FIRST reading (the text is actually read twice on this occasion) is for the purpose of hearing a word or passage that touches the heart. When the word or phrase is found, it is silently taken in, and gently recited and pondered during the silence which follows. After the silence each person shares which word or phrase has touched his or her heart.
THE SECOND reading (by a member of the opposite sex from the first reader) is for the purpose of hearing or seeing Christ in the text. Each ponders the word that has touched the heart and asks where the word or phrase touches his or her life that day. In other words, how is Christ the Word touching his own experience, his own life? How are the various members of the group seeing or hearing Christ reach out to them through the text? Then, after the silence, each member of the group shares what he or she has heard or seen.
THE THIRD and final reading is for the purpose of experiencing Christ calling us forth into doing or being. Members ask themselves what Christ in the text is calling them to do or to become today or this week. After the silence, each shares for the last time; and the exercise concludes with each person praying for the person on the right.
THOSE WHO who regularly practice this method of praying and sharing the Scriptures regularly find it to be an excellent way of developing trust within a group; it also is an excellent way of consecrating projects and hopes to Christ before more formal group meetings. A summary of this method for group lectio divina is appended at the end of this article. Lectio Divina on Life
IN THE ancient tradition lectio divina was understood as being one of the most important ways in which Christians experience God in creation. After all, the Scriptures are part of creation! If one is daily growing in the art of finding Christ in the pages of the Bible, one naturally begins to discover Him more clearly in aspects of the other things He has made. This includes, of course, our own personal history. O F H I
CONCLUSION |
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ECTIO DIVINA is an ancient spiritual art that is being rediscovered in our day. It is a way of allowing the Scriptures to become again what God intended that they should be - a means of uniting us to Himself. In lectio divina we discover our own underlying spiritual rhythm. We experience God in a gentle oscillation back and forth between spiritual activity and receptivity, in the movement from practice into contemplation and back again into spiritual practice.L
ECTIO DIVINA teaches us about the God who truly loves us. In lectio divina we dare to believe that our loving Father continues to extend His embrace to us today. And His embrace is real. In His word we experience ourselves as personally loved by God; as the recipients of a word which He gives uniquely to each of us whenever we turn to Him in the Scriptures.F
INALLY, lectio divina teaches us about ourselves. In lectio divina we discover that there is no place in our hearts, no interior corner or closet that cannot be opened and offered to God. God teaches us in lectio divina what it means to be members of His royal priesthood - a people called to consecrate all of our memories, our hopes and our dreams to Christ.Those looking for a fresh approach to prayer in the new year, may want to try this approach.
The evangelicals are gonna stone me on this one, and who knows, some of the less reflective Catholics might, too.
Very interesting, NYer.
I had been reading about the meaning of salvation, and asked the Holy Spirit to explain it to me, as I obviously didn’t understand God’s meaning.
I closed my eyes, and waited.....instead of words, he showed me, as if from above, my son and myself, a few days earlier.
He showed me how my son had erred, and how I gave him salvation with my reaction to his behavior.
The Holy Spirit gave me the answer in the way I could best understand it.
Cool, eh?
OTOH, if I hadn’t asked, and waited for the answer, I would never have understood.
Spending time on retreat in a Trappist monastery is living the lectio divina, when the retreatant participates in all the hours. Spouse and I did this some years ago at a nearby monastery, and I know what you mean about amateurs.
Rob and I were amateurs, but they were gracious enough to welcome us all around the clock. We shared some laughs, too...
looks like you are being called into lectio divina ...
I don't know if amateurs ought to try to "be like the prophet Elijah."
Absolutely not. A prophet was called into the heavenly court, sent from God to deliver His complaint against His errant people -- today's mystical enthusiastic wannabes have no idea what they're talking about.
I didn’t know it had a fancy name, but my fav, Fr. C, always tells us to pray like this. He always has a tidbit like this to offer us.
>>looks like you are being called into lectio divina ...<<
You may well be right!
The very holy priest leading it is a young Slovak Priest who studied at the Vatican. He is truly a gift from Our Lord to our parish.
I feel a need to go.
you won’t regret it......the Lord is always waiting on us.
LOL......love the tagline.....gotta go get my Bible.
Simon Peter School Scripture Study
Perhaps you are being called to loftier pursuits :-)
That is really interesting. I need to look it over.
God's Spirit is not the only spirit out there trying to influence our minds...
Watchman Nee is a Christian who was involved heavily into Oriental spiritualism prior to becoming a Christian...His books are excellent resources for understanding what to look for and what to avoid...
** a fresh approach to prayer **
This is an older practice — I use it all the time. Basically, let the Holy Scripture inspire you through the Holy Spirit and then pray right there on that subject or thought.
Very Catholic.
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