 |
Let the Spirit nourish your soul. In life’s commotion, we need time to focus on our relationship with God. Prayer opens us to God and the beauty of God’s glorious creation. Whether you pray the Daily Office or meditate in silence, take time to listen and be on the lookout for God.
|
Lectio Divina By: The Rev. Jonathan Linman |
|
“Lectio Divina” (Latin for sacred reading) is a devotional means of engaging sacred texts, principally the Bible, and being engaged by God’s Word for ongoing conversion and spiritual transformation. Appearing as a category first in the Rule of St. Benedict, over the centuries four dimensions have come to be commonly associated with lectio divina: reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation.
One reads a scriptural text and meditatively engages the text, imaginatively and playfully exploring words, phrases and ideas that evoke us, drawing upon one’s knowledge of the Bible and personal experiences. Such engagement can lead to prayer in response to what has been meditated upon and in relation to what has been read. The essential dynamic of lectio divina as a spiritual discipline is the dialogue between the reader and the text. The Holy Spirit’s activity cannot be reduced to either reader or text, but is located in the meaningful energy between reader and text. Such prayerfulness can then lead to contemplation, understood in the context of lectio divina as a state of resting in and being united with God’s presence mediated through the prayerful and meditative engagement with the scriptures. Lectio divina is a very straightforward and accessible spiritual discipline (everyone can read the Bible devotionally), and one that consistently bears the good fruit of a deeper dialogue with the Divine. Give it a try. Reading Meditation Prayer Contemplation Jonathan Linman is the Director of Center for Spirituality and General Theological Seminary in New York City. |