Catholic Growth

Lectio Divina is one of the oldest forms of prayer, introduced by St Gregory in the fourth century and made deeply encouraged by St Benedict in his monasteries in the fifth century. This ancient form of prayer involves using the Bible as a way of guiding a conversation with the Holy Spirit. Lectio Divina has seen a resurgence as a devotion in current times, and many people are starting to pick it up as a way of guiding themselves toward God.

The First Step in Lectio Divina: Reading (Lectio)

The first step is to choose a passage to read. There are a number of ways to choose one, you could choose a passage you have heard about, you may have a Bible study plan already, you could use the readings from Mass, and maybe even choose from random. Whichever way you choose a passage depends on you. My suggestion would be to start by using the Mass readings. Once you have chosen the passage, read it over. For some people, it helps to read the passage more than once so that the words stay in your mind.

As an example of a passage, I have chosen Matthew 18:12-14, “What do you think? If a shephered has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.”

The Second Step: Meditation (Meditatio)

In this step, we reflect on the passage itself. What words or phrases stood out to you? Think about the passage in relation to your own life, and how you would see yourself in the story. Think about what God may be trying to tell you.

Using our example, what I have realized is that God is a rescuer. He loves each and every one of us, and would search for us as lost sheep, rejoicing in our safe return. I need to keep this in mind anytime I feel unworthy of being saved or unwanted by God, because those feelings are not what God feels. He wants to rescue all of us, and when we fall into sin we are that lost sheep. How many times have I been that lost sheep?

The Third Step: Prayer (Oratio)

Now is when you pray directly to God and directly ask Him what He is trying to show you. You can pray silently or out loud, or you can journal. The important thing is that we stop asking ourselves questions and start asking God. The goal of this step is to have a conversation with God, who inspired the scripture.

Again our example shows to me that the immense love of God for us is shown in His role as the Rescuer, the One who rescues us from sin. After realizing this, I thank God for rescuing me from so much despair and captivity found in sin. God loves me so much, He made a plan for my rescue!

But then I think of the other people who are in need of rescuing. I have a strong desire to help others. Is this God’s part of God’s plan to rescue me? And then I realize I am a humble instrument, and my desire to help others is not from myself, but from God’s desire for others to be rescued.

Am I using the opportunities God has given me to act as this instrument for Him? I do think I need to respond more to His promptings, and respond more to situations in which someone is in actual need. Although I do feel a desire to help others, often I feel that acting toward that good for other people will not make an impact.

Then I pray to God to keep me on this path and never stop rescuing me.

The Fourth Step in Lectio Divina: Contemplation (Contemplatio)

This is the final step, in which we sit quietly and try our best to silence our minds. By sitting quietly with a quiet mind, we can feel what God is trying to tell us, and therefore be able to understand the guidance that God has given us. The goal is to remain in this silence for a time, guiding ourselves back to silence when we have distracting thoughts. We need to rest in the Holy Spirit.

And with our example, I set aside time for silence and strive to quiet my mind. The time is mostly silent, however was very peaceful. Stray thoughts that I know are my own wiggle their way in, and I gently return back to silence. When I finish, I feel this need to learn more about the saints and their readings. I also have this new interest in learning more about developing virtues. Perhaps I need to become more virtuous to accomplish my goal of helping others.

Give It A Try

Hopefully, I have inspired you to take up this ancient devotion of Lectio Divina. The good news is all you need is the Bible and a quiet place. I have created a bookmark to help you remember the steps to this prayer. Feel free to download, print, and cut it out. Then you will have a bookmark to keep in your Bible!