In this way, god speaks directly to our most personal concerns. The basic lectio divina steps the religion teacher. This ancient practice has been kept alive in the christian treasures of benedictine monastics and oblates. Below are some audio scripture verses for you to use for lectio divina.
I respond by asking jesus to cure the young man i encountered and so remove the pain from the father s heart. The practice of lectio divina resting in gods embrace a stepbystep guide to praying scripture by fr. Many adults practice lectio divina on a regular basis, often for a thirty minute period of time. Heavenly father, i believe in your wisdom and love. However, using a modified style for a shorter period of time, this prayer can be practiced with young children, as a way to introduce them to hearing god speak to them through his word. My seventh day adventist paternal grandmother was very faithful to reading the bible every day until cataracts dimmed her eyes so she could no. Catholic lectio divina collection by heather montealegre. As with lectio divina in reading scripture, the steps can be repeated. While some people think lectio divina is just reading scripture slowly, and whats wrong with that, it is the focusing on and repeating a word or small phrase to facilitate going into the silence that is the real danger.
Lectio divina and gospel contemplation are two ways to pray with scripture. We therefore practice it every day, so that we may develop a deep and genuine love for it, and so that we may grow in the surpassing knowledge of christ. The process of lectio divina a very ancient art, practiced at one time by all christians, is the technique known as lectio divina a slow. Praying with scripture is really a wonderful way to grow closer to the lord and to hear his voice with the ears of the heart. 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. Together with the liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us to discover in our. A vital encounter with the lord o not just bible study, nor a mere religious discussion based on the scriptures o meant to be enlivening, existential, transformative, and uniting lectio divina is not just for monks and religious, but for all believers.
Lectio divina is a process of quieting oneself and allowing god to speak to us through words and short phrases found in scripture. The process of lectio divina a very ancient art, practiced at one time by all christians, is the technique. In ancient times this inner spiritual motion was described as a helix an ascending spiral. I have chosen just a couple passages to begin with, but will be adding more. As the word is read in this step, the process of ruminating gradually draws the meditators focus from concerns of the mind to concerns of the heart. I believe you created me for heaven, mark out the way for me to reach it, and will give me the reward of the faithful servant. The text version of this video can be read, copied, and shared below. Lectio divina is derived from a latin word that means holy reading. Lectio divina is the classical monastic practice of the prayerful reading of the bible. This may range from a mere reading of the selection multiple times to full blown exegetical study. Accepting the embrace of god the ancient art of lectio divina. Time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us to discover in our daily life an. Choose a word or phrase of the scriptures you wish.
Leading sheep to a new level of consciousness by wolf tracks blog. Together with the liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio divinaenables us to discover in our. Of key importance is the reading of complete texts rather than mere selections of. In lectio divina, we read and reread a scripture passage slowly and prayerfully as a means of furthering our intimacy with jesus and hearing his voice. Liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us. Luke has published a translation of the rule of benedict, as well as articles on evagrius ponticus, lectio divina, christian contemplative practices, and other subjects in monastic spirituality. Centering prayer is a method of prayer in which we consent to rest in gods presence. With a renewed emphasis on productive silence, individual cells, and time dedicated to meditation, the time was ripe for a return to lectio divina.
All scripture is inspired by god and is useful for teaching the. Lectio divina, or divine reading is a traditional way of listening and talking with god through scripture. I appreciate david helms critique of this method in in his little book expositional preaching. The next time i pray over my experience in the park, i might be attracted to the fact that i lifted off the spider with my bare hands. Over the past few years an old form of bible reading and interpretation has resurfaced and made quite an impact. An excerpt from the article lectio divina by joseph. Together with the liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables. The holy spirit prompts thoughts about what you read, and helps you talk to god about these thoughts. We usually look at the readings for the coming sunday. The process of lectio divina 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, t. The process of lectio divina 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.
When we practice lectio divina, we can imagine were actually involved in the events of scripture for example, hearing gods words to the israelites in the desert. This moment of lectio divina is characterized by study of the text. This ancient practice has been kept alive in the christian. Sunday gospel readings with lectio divina bible society.
Lectio divina it was with the renewal of religious life at the second vatican council that lectio divina reclaimed its rightful place in monastic life. Having prepared himself, the practitioner reads a portion of scripture slowly and repeatedly, three or four times. The following pages represent a product or sampling of this ancient exercise practiced not just in monastic communities but in more recent years has gained acceptance by a growing number of laypersons. Year of matthew th ese lectio divina outlines are also available in albanian, dutch, french, greek, maltese, portuguese, slovak, slovenian, spanish and other languages. Lectio divina is a slow, contemplative praying of the scriptures. Lectio divina lectio divina means divine reading in latin. The process of lectio divina 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. The process of lectio divina a very ancient art, practiced at one time by all christians, is the technique known as lectio divina a slow, contempl ative praying of the scr ipture s wh ich e nabl es the bibl e, the word of god, to be come a means of union with. Lectio divina is an opportunity to slow down and experience gods word deeply.
There is certainly nothing wrong with reading scripture carefully and thoughtfully. It makes no difference which text is chosen, as long as one has no set goal of. Catholic prayer for healing prayers for healing catholic prayers susan jeffers catholic homeschooling cacao recipes prayer times wayne dyer raw cacao. Try the pray as you go imaginative contemplation exercises or listen to todays reflection you may also find our reflections on sunday readings useful. Time set aside in a s pecial w ay for le ctio divina enables us to di scover in our dai ly li fe an underl ying spiritua l rh ythm. The process of lectio divina 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. Before his death, tom, who was one of our group, provided us with an excellent introductory guide to lectio divina, stressing the great benefits to be found in adopting this meditative approach to reading the scriptures. A bible, a quiet room, and perhaps a pen and paper. A vital encounter with the lord o not just bible study, nor a mere religious discussion based on the scriptures o meant to be enlivening, existential, transformative, and uniting lectio divina is not just. This resource provides an outline of lectio divina and some other guidance for praying with scripture using the imagination. Lectio divina involves reading and prayerfully meditating on the scriptures. Time set aside in a special way for lectio divina enables us to discover in our daily life an underlying spiritual rhythm.
Mar 31, 2003 lectio divina is latin for spiritual reading. It is an ancient method of slowly reading the scriptures in a repetitive fashion in order to encounter the presence of god. According to pope benedict xvi in the postsynodal apostolic exhortation, verbum domini nos. Lectio divina is an ancient catholic prayer method for reading and praying with the bible. The process of lectio divina a very ancient art, practiced at one time by all christians, is the technique known as lectio divina. Accepting the embrace of god the ancient art of lectio divina fr. Aug 05, 2015 the goal is to become interiorly silent luke dysinger, accepting the embrace of god. Listen, children, to a fathers instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain. Lectio divina is the ancient christian practice of spiritual reading for the bible. It is an essential practice for all catholics to learn and certainly not something we should avoid teaching young people to. The following brief guide to lectio divina comesby way of give us this dayfrom father. During last weeks youth ministry resource webinar, lectio divina was mentioned as a resource for your youth group. Communal lectio divina our father who art in heaven opening prayer.
May 21, 2014 this, then, is a danger in lectio divina, that it may teach us to approach the text subjectively rather than objectively, and that in this way it leads to unstable, unsupportable conclusions. A lutheran perspective on lectio divina christian apologetics. Mar 18, 2020 in lectio divina, the chosen spiritual text is read four times in total, giving an opportunity to think deeply about it and respond thoughtfully. It is a method of reading and praying on scripture and other classics of spirituality like augustines confessions and the imitation of christ. History tells us that it was the blessed guigo the carthusian, who wrote the most important stages of this way of meditating the word. An invitation to be fully present with our holy god. Its an ancient practice that teaches us how to read, meditate on and live the word of god. Many christians use in their daily lectio divina one of the readings from the eucharistic liturgy for the day. The goal is to become interiorly silent luke dysinger, accepting the embrace of god. Though it appears to elevate piety, it may just train us to preach badly.
Lectio divina is devotional reading of scripture, followed by meditative consideration of the personal impact of that scripture, verbal response to the reading and meditation, and contemplative response through active or passive reception lectio divina need not take a long time if you limit your reading, meditation, prayer proper, and contemplation to one verse of scripture for each day. Together with the liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside. An excerpt from the article lectio divina by joseph colletti background the ancient practice of lectio divina sacred reading has waxed and waned throughout. Lectio divina teaches us to savor and delight in all the different flavors of gods presence, whether they be active or receptive modes of experiencing him. Lectio divina latin for divine reading is a way to pray with scripture. The ancient art of lectio divina, valyermo benedictine, spring 1990. I respond by asking jesus to cure the young man i encountered and so remove the pain from the fathers heart. His book psalmody and prayer in the writings of evagrius ponticus was published in 2004. Where others have, i think, come up with novel ways of critiquing it, helm heads straight to the bible. Choose a text of the scriptures that you wish to pray. How to practice lectio divina by father luke dysinger, o. Lectio divina is a slow, contemplative praying of the scriptur es. The practice of lectio divina resting in gods embrace.
The way of lectio dysinger st patricks college, maynooth. Lectio divina is a slow, contemplative praying of the scriptures which enables the bible, the word of god, to become a means of union with god dysinger. Try the pray as you go imaginative contemplation exercises or listen to todays reflection. Saint wulstans has a long standing lectio divina group, which meets weekly through the year. Praying with scripture and lectio divina pathways to god. An opportunity to savor the words of scripture, to sit at gods table, to be nourished, fed and refreshed. In this booklet lectio divina is described in a fresh and practical way, encouraging every christian to take up the bible and find in it a true guide for the intellect and for the actions of every day. The process of l ectio d ivina 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. History of lectio divina it was most likely origin 185232 who laid the groundwork for lectio divina as he put forth the idea of reading to discover a deeper meaning that lay beyond the. Dont let the latin scare you away from learning to do it yourself or from sharing it with your students. Communal lectio divina our father who art in heaven. Lectio engages the literal sense of holy scripture by use of the human intellect in order to understand the historical meaning of the text. Lectio divina is a reading, reflecting, responding and resting in the word of god that helps one grow in relationship with god.