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SESSION: LECTIO DIVINA
a. What is Lectio Divina?
Lectio Divina is a very ancient form of praying the Scriptures, which has been
recently revived through the practice of Centering Prayer. In the early Church
listening to the Scriptures has always been part of the practice of Lectio Divina.
b. Growin in !aith.
Listening to the Word of od has always been part of the process of growing in
faith. !n aspect of faith building is the listening to the Word of od in order to
allow the Word of od to allow it to come alive in us. "his is especially true
when we listen to the Word of od during the celebration of the liturgy, which is
a privileged way of building our faith. !nother time when the community come
together to build their faith is when the Word is shared in community through
faith sharing. In both the above we are coming together as community to share
and grow in our faith through the Word of od.
"here is another way of using the Word of od to grow in our faith. "his can be
done individually by a very simple method suggested which is called the Lectio
Divina. #ence we need to see the Lectio in the overall conte$t of growing in faith
through listening to the Word of od.
c. A si"#$e "etho%.
! very simple method is suggested for the Lectio, which can be done by anyone
and everyone who is interested and serious about his relationship with the Lord. It
consists of three simple steps%
&. We ta'e the "e$t with reverence and call upon the #oly Spirit. "he Scriptures
is the Word of od and it would be helpful to enthrone the Word in our homes
or our rooms to remind us of #is presence amongst us through #is Word. (ust
as the #oly Spirit inspired the author to write the te$t, the #oly Spirit will
teach us what the same te$t will mean to us today.
). *or ten minutes we listen to the Lord and respond to #im. "he reading is more
of a listening to the Word. It is also suggested that we read aloud to one if we
are doing this alone so as to hear #is Word and allow #is Word to resonate
within us. "here is no hurry to cover many pages or to speed+read. #ence it is
essential to ta'e time and read slowly, pausing at places where the Word
touches us or challenges us in any way.
,. We ta'e a Word with than'sgiving. "his could be used to ponder, to savour or
to 'eep it with us until our ne$t meeting. It could be used also as a reminder of
what we have read.
-y this method of listening to the Word, we spend time listening, in reflecting on
the Word, in responding to the Word and in silence to allow the Word to spea' to
us in our hearts.
"here is another way of doing the Lectio when we are with a group. It consists of reading
the chosen te$t three times with silence in between for reflection and sharing. !fter the
first reading, the members of the group shares what word or phrase
touches.challenges.repels them. !fter the second reading, the members share what the
reading means to them here and now. !fter the third reading, the members share how the
reading is challenging them to live their lives in the coming days.
"here can be variations made of the two methods proposed but whatever it is, the purpose
of the Lectio is to get us to be in touch with od/s Word through the Scriptures and to
allow #im to spea' to us daily. It is to grow in conscious awareness that the Lord wants
to spea' to us through #is Word and to develop a habit of listening to #is Word
especially through the Scriptures.