LECTIO DIVINA

"divine reading"

 

One of the most central and ancient practices of

Christian prayer is lectio divina, or divine

reading. In lectio divina, we begin by reading a

 few verses of the Bible. We read unhurriedly

 so that we can listen for the message God has

for us there. We stay alert to connections the

 Spirit may reveal between the passage and

 what is going on in our lives. We ask, "What

are you saying to me today, Lord? What am I to

 hear in this story, parable, or prophecy?"

Listening in this way requires patience and a

willingness to let go of our own agendas and

open ourselves to God's shaping.

Once we have heard a word that we know is

 

meant for us, we are naturally drawn to prayer.

 

 From listening we move to speaking – perhaps

 

 in anguish, confession or sorrow; perhaps in

 

joy, praise, thanksgiving or adoration; perhaps in

 

anger, confusion or hurt; perhaps in quiet

 

confidence, trust or surrender. Finally, after

 

pouring out our heart to God, we come to rest

 

simply and deeply in that wonderful, loving

 

presence of God. Reading, reflecting,

 

responding and resting -- this is the basic rhythm

 

 of divine reading.

The simple process of Bible reflection known

as lectio divina is intended specifically for

spiritual nourishment. We often think of

reading the Bible as a process of study. But

there is a way of reading the Bible devotionally

to satisfy spiritual thirst. Christians have long

known a means of turning to scripture that

 transcends any time and culture-specific

references, reaching into the reader's present

experience to facilitate spiritual growth.** Yet

this older process has been set aside in the

"rational" centuries from the Reformation

(sixteenth century) through the Enlightenment

(eighteenth century); that is, the time when a

definitive split between sacred and secular

emerged through dramatic changes in

philosophy and the arts, politics and economics,

trade and daily life. In general, our post-

Enlightenment twentieth century tends to

emphasize a historical and analytical approach

toward any text. Systematic analysis of the

scripture has yielded many valuable insights

about events at the time of writing, the

relationship between various editors, and the

like. But these details have tended to

overwhelm a more devotional method of

presence to the scripture. While this approach

has achieved many gains, it has neglected an

older tradition that viewed the Bible as an aid to

 the spiritual life rather than chiefly a source of

data or information!

It is now difficult for us to imagine what a

devotional approach to the Bible might mean,

much less how to go about it. Yet the ancient

Christian art of Bible reading for spiritual

growth has never been totally lost, and today it

is gradually reemerging in several radically

different Christian settings -- from monastic

communities in the United States to recently

evangelized African Christians. Lectio divina

offers a means of Bible reading available to all

for spiritual growth.

The ancient Christian tongue twister name is

 lectio divina (pronounced lex-ee-oh dih-vee-

nuh). This Latin phrase literally translates into

English as "divine reading" and refers primarily

to the reading of sacred scriptures as practiced

by the early Christian fathers and mothers. In

Latin as in English, the adjective "divine" refers

both to the material being read (the divine

word) and the method of reading (an inspired

approach). The Latin also carries a tradition of

meaning that is vaster than the literal English

 translation suggests. Therefore, we continue to

use the Latin phrase and usually shorten it

simply to lectio.

Historically, both individuals and groups use

lectio with much variation in actual practice. It

focuses on the good word of God as revealed in

divine scriptures, although it can be practiced

on other readings of spiritual depth and on

events drawn from daily life also. Lectio looks

to the Bible as the word of God, a privileged

text from which Christians receive continued

nourishment. Yet lectio is not Bible study, for it

involves neither an analysis of a scripture

passage nor an emphasis on text information.

Scripture study is an essential supplement to

ongoing lectio but is not directly involved in

this process. Above all, lectio is undertaken in

the conviction that God's word is meant to be a

 "good" word; that is, something carrying God's

own life in a way that benefits the one who

receives it faithfully. Lectio turns to the

scripture for nurture, comfort, and refreshment.

Lectio is an encounter with the living God; it is

prayer.

Lectio is a way of deep prayer, of encounter

with God. Yet this mode of deep prayer differs

from much modern practice. It involves reason

and discursive thought, an inner exploration of

meaning. It connects daily prayer both with the

credal truths of the Christian tradition and with

life's current issues. Lectio fully engages the

mind and the body as active partners in spiritual

nourishment. Lectio has both an active mode

 and a receptive mode; both are essential to its

 practice. For example, the meditative lectio

phrase is not the same as a mantra, which is

intended to quiet mental thought in order to deepen spiritual

centering. On the contrary, in

 lectio we use the gifted phrase as a means of

interacting directly with the actual situations of

 life, evoking new images and possibilities that

 empower us to live in congruence with our

faith. The lectio phrase is the fruitful word of

God in the sense that Isaiah intends it:

For as the rains and snow come down from

heaven, and do not return there until they have

watered the earth, making it bring forth and

sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to

the eater, so shall my word be that goes out

from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and

succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

(Isaiah 55:10-11, NRSV)

**The primary source for lectio divina is

monastic experience, especially as required by

the Rule of Saint Benedict of Nursia, who

 makes lectio a substantial element in each day's

schedule. He wrote the Rule in the mid-sixth

century, and it has formed the basis for

Christian monastic practice since then.

See The Rule of Saint Benedict in Latin and English with Notes, Timothy Fry, Senior Editor and Translator (Collegeville, Minn.: The Liturgical Press, 1981) or Norvene Vest's commentary on the Rule called Preferring Christ, which has a translation of the Rule by Luke Dysinger (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.: Source Books, 1991).

Excerpted from the "Introduction" to Gathered in the Word by Norvene Vest, Upper Room Books, 1996. Used by permission.