What is lectio divina?

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, CCC 2708, “Meditation engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire. This mobilization of faculties is necessary in order to deepen our convictions of faith, prompt the conversion of our heart, and strengthen our will to follow Christ. Christian prayer tries above all to meditate on the mysteries of Christ, as in lectio divina or the rosary. This form of prayerful reflection is of great value, but Christian prayer should go further: to the knowledge of the love of the Lord Jesus, to union with him.” The five steps of lectio divina include:

• Reading. Read a passage slowly and carefully within the bible.
• Meditation. Thinking deeply or dwelling upon a spiritual reality within a text.
• Prayer. Having a loving encounter with God by seeking to understand God’s character and word.
• Contemplation. Resting in God’s presence.
• Action. Go and do likewise.

Reading II, Galatians 1:11-20, From the Solemnity of Peter and Paul, Apostles, June 29, 2025
I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that the Gospel preached by me is not of human origin.
For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it,
but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism,
how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure
and tried to destroy it, and progressed in Judaism
beyond many of my contemporaries among my race,
since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.
But when God, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart
and called me through his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me,
so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,
I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,
nor did I go up to Jerusalem
to those who were Apostles before me;
rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem
to confer with Cephas and remained with him for fifteen days.
But I did not see any other of the Apostles,
only James the brother of the Lord.
–As to what I am writing to you, behold,
before God, I am not lying.”

Time to relax, time to be with God, time to meditate on the Word of God, the second Reading for the Solemnity of Peter and Paul, Apostles. Read the entire reading at least three times, slowly and reflectively, pick out a phare or a word that speaks to your heart. This first step sometimes takes a long time, but make sure you have blocked time for your Lectio Divina. We spend one hour in Lectio from 4-5 pm, but it takes practice to do Lectio at a specific time. – The writing of Galations 1:11-20 tells about Paul defending the gospel, from God and not from humankind. He tells about his current ministry with that of his former life, persecuting the Church, highlighting a God’s grace of his transformation. At the end of this reading, Paul states, “As to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying.” After you have spent time with thinking deeply, go into prayer, seeking to understand God’s word. Then, rest in God’s presence and think of what action you would like to do. God bless you, SK