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Lectio Divina
What is Lectio Divina? Lectio divina is a classic spiritual exercise of praying with the Scriptures. Other Christians may say that we are not as steeped in the Scriptures as we ought. However, not many of them know that we have a very old and classic tradition called lectio divina: the use of the Scriptures for our praying. Lectio divina is used most often by the many people who followed the monastic and religious tradition of our Catholic heritage. One spiritual family that used lectio divina most often were the Benedictines - the religious family and communities based on St. Benedict's spirituality, teachings and rule of life. How does one use Lectio Divina? There are basically four steps in lectio divina:
- This step of lectio divina involves getting a Bible passage and reading it using one's reading ability well. - This step of lectio divina involves our sense imagination - placing oneself in the Bible passage and seeing oneself as a participant in the Bible scene, being involved as an onlooker: looking at the people involved in the scene, listening to what they are saying and looking at all the details involved in the situation and sensing what the gospel scene is all about. - This step of lectio divina involves praying with the heart. As we are immersed in the Bible scene, certain feelings stir within us that invite us to prayer. We thus lift up our hearts to pray as the Biblical passage touches our lives. - This fourth step of lectio divina is a state of prayer where everything, as it were, reaches a still point - a quality silence, when all that we do is gaze lovingly at the person of our Lord God as He is revealed in the mystery of the Biblical passage before us. If we were to relate what aspect of our persons are involved in the praying of lectio divina, we can briefly state that lectio involves our senses, meditatio involves our thinking and thought processes, oratio involves our heart and feelings, and contemplatio involves our intuition and intuitive faculties. What is the best way of using lectio divina? The best way of using lectio divina is by following the readings of the Mass for the day. You can take either the first reading, second reading or the Gospel for the day. Find a quiet place. The adoration chapel would be a good and quiet environment. Or you can also use your own room as long as it also presents a very quiet and still environment. Allow a state of silence and quiet within your mind, heart, and being. Place yourself before the presence of God and then quietly read the Scripture passage you have chosen. Then go through the other phases of lectio divina. Usually, the meditatio phase of lectio divina takes a lot of effort and work. The oratio phase of lectio divina is much more consoling because it involves our heart and feelings. And the contemplatio phase of lectio divina is a gift that is given by the Lord since this phase involves a pure favor and grace from the Lord. We cannot attain it by our own power. We can only dispose ourselves in such a way so that we may receive God's gift of His presence and His most Holy Spirit to come indwell in us and make us "still and know that He is God". This process of lectio divina takes practice and discipline. Anything done regularly will make us quite proficient at it. As we pray in the lectio divina way more often, we shall know this art of prayer better each time. What are the benefits and advantages of lectio divina? One sure benefit and advantage of lectio divina is that our lives are centered in Christ through the Scriptures. We get to know the Scriptures very well in our mind and in our heart. And we derive a great understanding of the divine mysteries as they are revealed to us through the Scriptures. Lectio divina will help us use the Scriptures so that we may be be formed truly in the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ. Dennis-Emmanuel Cabrera
December 26, 2004 [revised: October 21, 2005] |
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