Lectio Divina - Reading Scripture with Deeper Eyes: I've been revisiting an old and favorite prayer practice lately, that of lectio divina. If you're not familiar with it, lectio divina means "sacred reading." A new small group that I'm a part of is studying lectio divina for a few weeks, so I have submerged myself willingly into God's Word in the pages of the Holy Bible in order to discern what He/She is saying to me personally. Yes, personally! God will speak to you through the pages of scripture, for the Bible is not just words on the page, but a living communication from the Divine. Don't believe it? Try it out for yourself. Read about the four stages of the prayer, then follow the steps at the bottom.
Basically,
there are four steps to lectio divina: lectio, meditatio, contemplatio and
oratio. Some people do the first
three steps and omit the last. Do
as the Spirit guides you. When
doing lectio divina, the four steps flow naturally into one another, and not always in
the order which is presented here.
The Holy Spirit is responsible for and leads you through the steps of lectio divina.
Lectio – reading
& listening
To begin, you
read from Holy Scripture, picking a passage, which speaks to you in a personal
way. Not ordinary reading, like a magazine or book; but, taking in the Word and
pondering it in your heart, memorizing it while gently repeating it to
yourself, reading and listening at the same time, with your whole being. Read slowly with great attentiveness to
each word and phrase.
Meditatio – meditation
In Meditatio,
you reflect on the Word of God by memorizing a brief phrase or passage from the
longer text that was read, some part of it that spoke to you directly. Think of ruminating, or “chewing the
cud” of this phrase; taking it into yourself, deeply. Once you have it memorized, repeat it again and again, and
then enter into the picture that you create in your mind. Let yourself be in the crowd as Jesus
gives His Sermon on the Mount, if that is your passage. Hear His words directed at you, when He
says, “Blessed are you.”
(Matt 5:11) Feel what that
experience does to you. Take the
text and use it to enter into relationship with Him, and learn. Let His Words teach you directly, now,
in your heart.
Contemplatio – contemplation
At this point,
you will find words and images drying up, as you silently contemplate God. This part of the process happens to
you; you cannot make it happen, and you have no control over it. Let yourself simply rest in God’s
presence now, because you find that no thoughts or words are adequate to
describe what you are feeling.
When this happens, relax and flow with it. Rest in God and be at peace. Nothing is required of you at this point; just accept the
loving embrace of the One Who loves you as His child.
Oratio – spontaneous
prayer
This is the
spontaneous prayer that arises from you as you meditate on the Word of
God. As you are touched by the
text’s deeper meaning for you, your heart opens in response to your new
understanding, and a rush of feeling overflows in an outpouring of verbal
prayer, tears or wordless praise.
Here are the steps for you to follow:
1.
Choose a
short passage from Scripture. Keep
the passage short; just a sentence or two, and no more than a paragraph. (Suggestions are below.)
2.
Read that
passage slowly and meditatively, over and over again. Ruminate on this passage until it is committed to memory.
3.
Visualize
the passage. Feel your way into
the passage. Put yourself in the
action, and let yourself experience the realities that the passage points to. Really become fully involved in what is
happening as you listen to and interact with Jesus.
4.
After a time,
your visualization will come to an end of its own accord. When this happens, just rest in
contemplation for a while. Simply
sit in stillness and silence and be open to the loving Presence of God. Relax and just “be.”
5.
When your
contemplation comes to an end, offer up to God the spontaneous prayer from your
heart, and your gratitude for this gift.
Then you may end your period of meditation by gently bringing your
awareness back to yourself and opening your eyes.
Suggested scripture passages:
Matthew 13:44 “The reign of God is
like a buried treasure which a man found in a field. He hid it again, and rejoicing at his find went and sold all
he had and bought that field.”
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you
in the womb, I knew you.”
Matthew 28:20 “Know that I am with
you until the end of time.”
Micah 6:8 “He has told you, O
mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice,
and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced
that neither death nor life, nor angels... nor things present, nor things to
come… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Jesus Christ.”
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