Among the many gifts of Vatican II was this: placing the word of God as central to all spirituality. This has led to the widespread revival of an ancient method of praying the Holy Scriptures. It is called Lectio Divina. Literally, this means divine reading. It is, in fact, the prayerful reading of the Bible.
This prayerful reading seeks a deeper awareness of God to learn what God asks of us. It will lead us to know and embrace God’s will. It is all about the transforming encounter with God’s special means of revelation, the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. The attitude of Samuel: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” (1 Sam 3:10) is the basic approach to this form of prayer where the main activity is ultimately listening
The four “Rs” make up this style of prayer:
- A slow meditative reading of a selected text of the Scriptures.
- A reflection on the text that connects it with our life experience.
- We are led to a response in prayer.
- Finally, a quiet resting in the Mystery of this encounter.
The Method of Lectio Divina
This time of prayer begins with serious focusing of our mind and heart. We need to create an ambience of silence, with minimal outside distractions. Next, we select the text. We then invoke the Holy Spirit.In the initial step, we have to seek out the meaning: what does the text say? Silence is important for listening and avoiding the trap of making the text say what we want. Both the mind and the heart need to be part of this prayer experience. A particular phrase or sentence may burst out as a light sometimes gently, sometimes with great force. Hold on to it.
In the second step, we want to ask: what does the text say to us. We approach the text as if we are in a dialogue. This is the time to make the connection to our life. The reflection leads to building a bridge between God’s word and our life situation at this moment.
Distractions, like chattering monkeys, will never be far away. To re-gain the focus of the mind, always return to the text. This discipline maintains a recollected and attentive approach to the task of reflection in the second step.
In the third step, we try to discover what the text leads us to say to God. This most often leads to prayer. It may be a bad habit or a damaged relationship or a fearful situation or clinging hurt: we simply open our heart to God as best we can. We ask help and guidance. We make resolutions to be more generous in walking with Jesus. This is always a slow journey from the head to the heart.
The fourth step, quiet listening and resting in the Lord, generates a contemplative mood. This is the goal of the prayerful reading of the Bible: opening ourselves up to the transforming love of God. Silence is the language of God. We slowly grow in the wonder that God loves us. While we do not always have this deep encounter of loving silence, it remains the goal. It is the gift that transforms us in the image of Christ.
Movement to Personal Integration
The prayerful reading of the Bible in Lectio Divina, lets us see ourselves as the one to whom the Bible is directed. The word of God was formulated to address us here and now. We need to work to keep our reflections concrete and specific. The reality of our life, our family, our community and the larger circumstances of the political, economic, and social situation must be front and center in our prayer. We should never forget that the Bible is at all times the book of the community, not just a personal prayer book.In the proper practice of Lectio Divina, the first three steps are an encounter with Christ-for-us. He is our Savior calling us to new life. In the final and most important step, we meet Christ-in-us. This presence grows in the gradual transformation of our being. Our faithful and generous attitude toward the prayerful reading of the Bible taps into the deepest hunger in our heart. We learn where we are going and how to get there. This is our pilgrimage to God.
