Daily Email

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Spirituality: Lectio Divina

Opening prayer:

“Lord Jesus, you who are the Son of the Living God, teach me to listen to what you tell me in the holy Scriptures, and to discover your face there.” (Guigo III)

Reading: Getting to know the text

• Take in all the elements of the text.
• Be aware of context, related texts, quotes.
• Note the key characters; what are the key words?
• Do not choose anyone thing to work with at this stage.
• You are becoming familiar with the text: gathering food for thought.

Meditation: Engaging with the text, making it my own

• Here, faith life and the Word interact and seek integration.
• What does the text tell me about the God who speaks?
• What does it tell me about responding to that God?
• What does the text teach me about my faith life?
• What do I need to do to transform my life?
• We cannot do it alone; we are humbled, we turn to God in prayer.

Prayer: Let prayer emerge from your working with the text

• This prayer emerges from our reading/meditation.
• It is shaped by our personal prayer practice.
• We seek the grace to achieve what emerged from meditation.
• Prayer commits us to transformation of life.
• All that we can do in prayer is done here.

Contemplation: God’s response

• What happens here, only God can give
• Do not expect this to happen: go with it if it does.
• God does not wait but breaks in and runs to meet us.
• There is no need to be silent to let God speak.

Action: throughout the day

• Now choose a word, phrase, sentence.
• Bring it to mind frequently during the day.
• Let it recapture the experience of your lectio.
• Use it especially in situations relating to your lectio.
• Daily and hourly till the soil of the heart with the Gospel plow.

From Joseph Sobb, S.J. of the Australian province

No comments:

Post a Comment