Lectio Divina
Here I am Lord, you called me! (1 Sam 3:4)
These or similar words applied not only to Samuel, but also to Abraham (Gen 2:11), Moses (Ex 3:4), Hannah (1 Sam 1:26), Isaiah (is 6:8), Ananias (Acts 9:10) and many, many others throughout the Old and New Testament. Some of them were called to be prophets, others disciples. However, think of Mary of Bethany. She wanted to sit at Jesus feet and listen with all her being. She too was called and certainly answered in her heart, “HERE I AM LORD, YOU CALLED ME.” This is what Lectio Divina is all about. We hear the “silent whisper” of the Holy Spirit calling to us and we want with all our hearts to answer as our Blessed Mother Mary did with her whole being.
You may ask, what is Lectio Divina? These are Latin words, Lectio means to read and Divina means Divine. It has come to be interpreted in many ways over the centuries, i. e. Holy Reading, Spiritual Reading, Reading the Bible, Reading Holy Books, etc. But, there is much, much more to Lectio Divina. There is a great deal to be said about the history of Lectio Divina and how it became to be so specifically linked to Benedictines, but we’ll save that for another time.
Many of you have participated in Bible Study courses over the years, in College, Parish communities, Neighborhood friends, etc. So much of what I am saying here will be very familiar. The first part of Lectio Divina is learning about how to select and read a Bible. There is generally no right or wrong answer to this question except to say that if you have the opportunity to have or get a STUDY Bible it would be good. Study Bibles tend to give you a lot more history, literary explanations, different language interpretations from ancient times etc. The also give a lot of cross-references, such as one verse in John will be referred to similar verses in other parts of the Bible. However any Bible you may have, that helps you in growing into a deeper relationship with God is perfectly fine. Remember it is the Holy Spirit that leads us. If you are going to study to be a Scripture scholar, then your teachers may give very different answers according to their preferences or focus of study. But for us folks, what brings us into relationship with God is the Bible for us.
As we learn more and more about Lectio Divina you might say, “But I’ve been doing that for years.” And Yes! Lectio Divina was most likely practiced by Jesus Himself as a young boy in Palestine and by many, many devout Jews long before him. It seems to me that the “desire” to know God grows more quickly once we learn about the Scriptures and start reading and praying with them.
Reading Scripture
Using Our Bible
It is important to read the Introduction for each selection of Book(s)
In the New Testament, these might be the Introduction to the Synoptic Gospels, or the Introduction to
St. John or St. Paul, etc.
For the Old Testament it might be Introduction to the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Introduction to the Psalms, etc.
These introductory sections tell us a great deal about the time a particular book of the Bible was written, such as who the author may have been, the important history of the time and a lot of other tidbits, that help us to begin to know these people and often make us want to be there with them as we are reading and thinking about what is happening. We may find that this “God” we thought we knew so well, is not our idea of him, but a God so much greater and way more intricate that we could even begin to imagine. In Lectio Divina you are in for a lot of incredible surprises!
We need to look at what we read from different points of view.
WRITER – Why did he write these words at this particular time?
History – What was happening in the author’s world at that time?
Audience – Who was he talking to?
Intention – What was he trying to accomplish?
JESUS – How does what I am reading refer to Him?
If he were praying Psalm 5, what might He be thinking or feeling?
What might His prayer have been when He prayed Psalm 96?
What about Psalm 51, Jesus was God! Would He pray this Psalm?
SELF – What is God saying to me in this Scripture?
Can I place myself in this particular scene, can I sense the Lord’s presence?
Can I place someone else there, someone in my family, a sick friend, an irritating person, a criminal I know or know of, etc.?
What does this Scripture tell me about myself?
Hope that you have been enlightened and know that we pray for you!
Sister Mary