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Lectio Divina

Listening to God in the Prayerful Reading of the Sacred Scriptures

Pope Benedict XVI regularly mentions the practice of Lectio Divina in his catechesis as one of the

sources for the renewal of Christianity in the world today. During the Pauline Year, there was a gathering

of Bishops in Rome for a special Synod on the Word. The word Lectio Divina was mentioned 28 times in

the Instrumentum Laboris (the preparatory document) of the Synod and was brought up regularly in the

interventions of the synodal participants. The Instrumentum Laboris states: “An authentic spirituality of

the Word demands that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that God and man

may talk together; for we speak to him when we pray; we hear him when we read the divine sayings” (n.

41).

Listening to God in the prayerful reading of the Sacred Scriptures occurs in two basic forms: Lectio

Divina and Ignatian Contemplation (according to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola). Lectio is

the practice of pondering a line from a particular scriptural passage and “chewing on it,” while the Ignatian

method invites one to enter personally into a biblical scene through the gift of the intellect and imagination.

Both of these forms of scriptural prayer are interrelated and are very effective in connecting with Jesus in

a personal way through listening to the Holy Spirit’s inspiration.

All prayer is a gift and is thus the result of grace – when something profound comes to us in prayer,

we accept it as a gift, and when nothing happens we are still with the Lord Jesus in a prayerful posture

and we again receive the simplicity of the prayer as a gift. There are a few things we can do to more properly

dispose ourselves to the Word:



Choose the Scripture over which you are about to pray ahead of time.



Decide how much time you are able to spend with this particular scripture (20-30 minutes), and don’t

quit early once you have decided upon a time – leave room for God to work right up to the last minute.

It is a genuine temptation to leave early.



Find a comfortable chair and posture. It is always a blessing to be able to pray in the presence of the

Blessed Sacrament. Access to a chapel would be optimal, but if that is not possible, set aside a prayer

corner with an icon or a crucifix to keep you from distraction.



Begin the time of prayer with a simple dialogue with each of the Three Persons of the Blessed Trinity,

thus acknowledging with Whom you are engaging in prayer. Invite Mary and your patron saint also to

journey with you and intercede for you to grow closer to Christ. This is what St. Ignatius calls

the colloquy.



Read over the scripture that you have chosen a few times and then simply sit with the Word.



Relax and breathe – getting uptight can be a major obstacle. Again, prayer is a gift, allow yourself to be

led by the Holy Spirit; it is not you “doing it” but God allowing it to unfold within you. Allow the Scripture

to manifest itself; you do not have to try too hard or contrive anything.



As you entered into the reflection of the scriptural passage “Did it seem as if the Holy Spirit was giving

you an insight, or giving you consolation or encouragement? Did a new awareness of the meaning of the

gospel teaching dawn on you? Was the time just quiet or was it stormy? […] Because the goal of [each

time of prayer] is a stronger personal relationship with God, a two-way communication is implied. Be

open to receiving insight and guidance through the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you.”[1]



Be surprised by the Lord, it is He Who is the author of the intellect and imagination, allow Him to use

yours. Do not be afraid of this type of prayer, you will be amazed at what God will reveal to you. Make

a conscious move to operate out of the heart and not the head. This does not mean that you are

suspending reason; you are simply getting out of the way to allow the Holy Spirit to be the driver and

not yourself. You may want to pray the prayer of St. Ignatius below to help you allow God to be in

control.



ARRR: Acknowledge, Relate, Receive, and Respond. Acknowledge what stirs in your heart as you read

the Scripture and relate/talk to Christ about it. Once you have shared with the Lord, receive what He

wants to give you – receive a word, phrase, image, feeling of comfort or peace, etc. Finally respond to

what is happening within you: more conversation with God, a resolution, the strength to move forward,

etc. [2]



“As we prayerfully and submissively bring ourselves into the Lord’s presence through a Scripture

passage, the Spirit will bring thoughts, ideas, images, symbols, insights and impressions to our mind

which will convey the application of God’s Word in Scripture to our own personal reality. We learn to

recognize this form of communication by practice and experience with prayer.” [3]



Close with a similar colloquy as at the beginning of prayer and ask: “Lord Jesus, what is the word that

you want to give me?” Listen quietly as you close your prayer and an echo of the scripture you just

prayed over may come to you, or another word of peace and comfort.



Write down the words you feel the Lord has given you in prayer, as well as the thoughts, feelings, and

desires you may be experiencing. What is Jesus trying to say to you today with the reflection that you

just had?



It is beneficial to share your prayer experiences with someone well versed in the spiritual life. This may

be done in a small group setting or with a spiritual director.



Scriptural prayer is very enriching and allows the Word of God to become ever more something that

vivifies your life. The time and effort that you put into spiritual exercise will result in a deeper, more

intimate union with the Savior of the world. God’s gift of prayer is exponentially more rewarding than

anything we put into it.

Rev. David L. Toups, STD, Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations / USCCB. 2009

[1] Carol Marquardt, Foundations of Personal Prayer: Listening and Loving in God’s Embrace (Mantle Publishing: Clearwater, Florida,
2008), 11 (

www.ourfiat.com

[2] As articulated by the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University (

http://www2.creighton.edu/ipf/

[3] Marquardt, 14.

Lectio Divina for Small Groups

Here is a possible procedure to follow with groups:

Remember, doing the Lectio process on a Scripture passage that group members know already is
a better choice. Lectio is not for discovering the meaning of a passage; it is for soaking in God’s
Word, letting it become a part of our lives.

Step One - Preparation



Have someone pray for the group that they would be open and receptive to God.



Be silent in your group for a 1-2 minutes

Step Two - Reading



Have some read the passage slowly out loud. Have a time of silence for 1-2 minutes.



Have a second person read the passage slowly out loud.

Work your way through the four sections below leaving equal time for each (these questions
work best for narrative passages):



Ask God to enable you to enter into the passage with your mind to grasp the facts of the
passage: the who, what, where, when, why, and how.



Ask God to enable you to enter into the scene with your own senses: what would you have
heard, what would you have tactilely felt, what would you have smelt, what would you have
seen?



Ask God to enable you to enter into the scene with your emotions. Is there one particular
character or group of characters with whom God is inviting you to identify? Is God inviting
you to enter into the emotions of each person in the passage? What would that person have
felt emotionally—happy, sad, confused, angry, joyful, contented, surprised?



Be silent for a brief period of time.

Step Three - Meditation



Have everyone read the passage to themselves for a third time.



Pick out a word, idea, or phrase that strikes you in a personal way; something that might
jump out to you—perhaps a particular metaphor; you don’t have to finish reading the whole
passage.



Once you’ve found a word or phrase that catches your eye or moves your heart, slowly repeat
it, linger over it, give it your attention. Ask your group members to think about, “Where does
the content of this reading touch my life today?”



Be silent for a few minutes for group members to be able to reflect on how the word or
phrase connects to their lives.

Meditation is the discipline we give to keeping the memory active in the act of
reading. (things slip out of our minds so quickly)



Repetition is needed here



But not a mechanical mantra thing



Just keep remembering the phrase



Invite the group members to state out loud to the rest of the group (or to just one other
person), in just a few sentences, the connection between the word/phrase and their lives.

Share briefly the story why you stopped where you did (there is always a story!)

Do not elaborate too long!

You can always “pass”

(another option is to have each person start their sharing with the words “I hear, I see…”)

Step Four - Prayer



Now take any thoughts, feelings, actions, fears, convictions, and questions you have
meditated on and offer them to the Lord in prayer.

Praise God for who he is.

If you feel convicted about a poor relationship, simply apologize, request forgiveness, and ask
for guidance on restoring the relationship.

If you feel thankful for something that God has done for you, then pour out those feelings of
thanksgiving.

If you feel a specific anxiety about something in your life, present it to the Lord and pray for
the guidance and peace to be able to submit to God’s will.

Step Five – Contemplation

This final stage (though frequently overlooked) is one of vital importance. The “task” in this
stage is to simply be silent in the presence of God (

Psalm 46:10

). This is one of the most

essential aspects for building a growing relationship with the Lord. One of the most valuable
things that we can do with this feeling is to relax and embrace it. Just “be” with God. We
don’t need to always be talking at God.

Step Six – Living



Part of contemplation is to commit yourself, with the help of God, to “do” the truth that he
has implanted in your heart. It is our submitting to God’s Word, our living it out, that God is
calling us to (e.g.,

James 1:22-25

Matthew 7:15-27

Romans 2:12-16

). Living out our faith is

a following of Jesus that happens naturally as we know Christ and become like him.



Have each person pray for their partner or the person to their right that they will be able to
respond appropriately to God.

Note:



Anyone may “pass” at any time.



If instead of sharing with the group you prefer to pray silently, simply state this aloud and
conclude your silent prayer with Amen.

Miscellaneous Information on Group Lectio Divina



The group lectio is a little different from the individual lectio process mainly in that
contemplation process is replaced with prayer for one another. Group lectio also includes an
invitation to action. There is great power in asking God what is required of us and in sharing
what we hear with others. Doing the lectio process together is helpful in that hearing from
others will often expand your own insights, and sharing with others will gently strengthen
your resolve to follow-through on personal response plans.



It is possible for group members to have a passage a scripture (perhaps one Bible chapter)
that each member uses the individual lectio divina process on during the week for as many
or as few times as they are able. For the weekly small group meetings the leader could pick
one section of the chapter and go through that passage using the group lectio divina process.



Lectio divina small groups can also be run without weekly home-work.

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time, October 11, 2015

First Reading Wisdom 7:7-11

Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given

me; I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom
came to me.

I preferred her to scepters and thrones,

and I accounted wealth as nothing in comparison
with her.

Neither did I liken to her any priceless

gem, because all gold is but a little sand in her sight,
and silver will be accounted as clay before her.

loved her more than health and beauty, and I chose
to have her rather than light, because her radiance
never ceases.

All good things came to me along

with her, and in her hands uncounted wealth.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms 90:12-17

So teach us to number our days that we may get a

heart of wisdom.

Return, O LORD! How long? Have

pity on thy servants!

Satisfy us in the morning with

thy steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad
all our days.

Make us glad as many days as thou

hast afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen
evil.

Let thy work be manifest to thy servants, and

thy glorious power to their children.

Let the favor

of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish thou
the work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our
hands establish thou it.

Second Reading

Hebrews 4:12-13

For the word of God is living and active, sharper

than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division
of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and
discerning the thoughts and intentions of the
heart.

And before him no creature is hidden, but all

are open and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom
we have to do.

Gospel

Mark 10:17-30

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man

ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal
life?"

And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me

good? No one is good but God alone.

You know the

commandments: `Do not kill, Do not commit
adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do
not defraud, Honor your father and mother.'"

And

he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed
from my youth."

And Jesus looking upon him loved

him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell
what you have, and give to the poor, and you will
have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

that saying his countenance fell, and he went away
sorrowful; for he had great possessions.

And Jesus

looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard
it will be for those who have riches to enter the
kingdom of God!"

And the disciples were amazed at

his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children,
how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!

It is

easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God."

And they were exceedingly astonished, and

said to him, "Then who can be saved?"

Jesus

looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible,
but not with God; for all things are possible with
God."

Peter began to say to him, "Lord, we have left

everything and followed you."

Jesus said, "Truly, I

say to you, there is no one who has left house or
brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or
lands, for my sake and for the gospel,

who will not

receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and
brothers and sisters and mothers and children and
lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come
eternal life.