Saint Benedict, the early 6th-century founder of Western Monasticism who established a rule for monastic life, has something to offer 21st-century Christians who live with information overload, spend their days responding to notifications and texts, and are surrounded by noise on every side.
Have you ever wondered:
Lectio divina, the prayerful reading of Scripture in the Benedictine tradition, answers all of these. Lectio divina provides a framework that can help us settle inside, focus when we feel fragmented, listen more deeply to the word God is speaking to us when we bring our real life into God’s care, and finally rest in God’s presence. It can lead us into intimacy and a greater security that we are God’s beloved son or daughter.
Many long for prayer that doesn’t require them to be calm, holy, or focused first. They want a way of praying that can hold distraction, grief, longing, and fatigue—who they are in the experience of their everyday life. Lectio divina is one of the Church’s gentle responses to this longing.
Lectio divina leads us deeper into a relationship with God through a four-step rhythm that helps us settle into prayer and steady us for deeper listening, as Elijah listened for the still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12). Lectio divina has no goal other than that of being in the presence of God by praying the Scriptures.
Lectio (making space):
As you enter into prayer, slow down enough to notice what is going on inside you. Look around and see where you are. Let your eyes fall on something quiet. As you slowly read a passage from Scripture, let yourself be addressed.
In this first part, you are allowing Scripture to rest in you. Bring to your reading of the Word of God the burdened parts of you that are weary and longing for rest, and the confused parts that need guidance. You may want to read a short passage, leave silence, and then read it again slowly, even aloud. There is no need to draw any conclusions from what you’re reading at this point. It’s more like two lovers who are so comfortable in each other’s presence that they are able to just be with each other. Father Luke Dysinger, O.S.B., says it this way: “The reading or listening, which is the first step in lectio divina, is very different from the speed reading that 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.”
Meditatio (letting it stay with you):
The image of the Virgin Mary “pondering in her heart” what she had heard (Luke 2:19) is the invitation here. Turn over in your thoughts what you have read, gently repeating it to yourself. Your thoughts may wander, memories surface, and emotions interrupt. Don’t try to chase all this away. Instead, allow the passage of Scripture you are praying with to interact with all of this. In this way, God’s Word becomes his word for you. As you experience how God accepts all these realities of your inner world and still loves you, your relationship with God will deepen.
Oratio (bringing your real life to God):
This prayer naturally leads into a loving conversation with the One who has invited you into his embrace. This can be an especially healing moment as you offer to God the parts of yourself that you may not have believed God wants. Again, Father Luke Dysinger invites: “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 (resting in God’s presence):
God has used his Word as a means of touching the places in you he wishes to heal. Now you can rest, simply enjoying God’s presence. Love does not require constant conversation. You can choose a line of a psalm as a way of keeping your focus on the relationship: “Be still and know that I am God. Or “Your words are a lamp to my feet.” Or a simple: “Thank you.”
Adapting Lectio Divina to the Shape of Your Life
Lectio divina adapts itself to the shape of your life. If you don’t have a lot of quiet time, you could do a brief lectio in the morning—reading the Scripture passage in God’s presence. Type it into a note on your phone where you can return to it throughout the day. Through an on-the-go meditatio, let it ruminate on the back burner as you go through your day. Bring your struggles, thoughts, memories, and emotions to Jesus through that Word. At the end of the day, when you might be able to take 10 minutes of quiet, re-read the Scripture passage, and continue with the oratio and contemplatio. In this way, lectio divina becomes a companion for your day. It shapes your day and sandwiches it with Scripture and relationship. Periodically, when you have a more extended period of time available to you, you could pray lectio divina in its full form.
Lectio divina is a way of consenting to be met by God—slowly, personally, and without force—through words, silence, and the unfolding of your own life.
Sr. Kathryn J. Hermes, FSP, has always been drawn to spirituality and transformation in Christ. She is the author of Surviving Depression and Reclaim Regret. She is also the editor of Heart of the Revival.
Photo by ChurchArt Online
