By John Arnold
Lectio divina, also known as "divine reading" or "holy reading" is an easy to follow prayer method that dates back to the 1500's. If you are wanting to pray better, lectio divina can help you move toward a deeper prayer life rather quickly.
At it's essence, lectio divina is all about prayerfully and attentively reading God's word. There are four lectio divina steps: Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, and Contemplatio.
1) Lectio. You begin lectio divina by slowly and repeatedly reading a scripture text. Personally, I will read a passage three times. Each time I read it more slowly. You may want to jot down anything that tugs on your attention. Reading it out loud is another great way to make you slow down and be more attentive.
2) Meditatio. As the name implies, meditatio is a time of meditation. Meditation in this context is not like Eastern meditation of emptying your mind. Instead, in meditatio you ruminate on the text and ponder it deeply. You might ponder a word of phrase at length that you wrote down in your initial reading. Or, you you may imaginatively place yourself in the story, if you are reading something narrative from the bible. The key to meditation is to actively engage your mind with the text while listening for ways that it might meaningfully intersect your life.
3) Oratio. Oratio is the latin word from which words like oral and oratory arose. This movement, as you might guess, is about speaking to God. Up until now you have been receiving God's word. Now it is time to respond. During oratio speak from your heart to God about the passage and what it means to you. For example, if a bible passage teaches you an important lesson, thank God for that understanding and discuss with God how you will try to apply it. If a text confuses you, lift up to God your questions. However the text has spoken to you, strive to respond to God with sincerity and openness about it.
4) Contemplatio. The fourth movement is a time of resting joyfully before God in silence. Enjoy God's presence as you conclude your prayer time. You can do this by turning you attention fully and lovingly upon God from a grateful heart. Contemplatio is often difficult for people because it is much more about being with God than doing something. Imagine the love and peace that fills a parents heart as they go into their child's room at night and lovingly gaze upon their sleeping child. This is the kind of presence of mind you want to hold during contemplatio.
Though there are four distinct steps to lectio divina, don't get legalistic about the method. Basically, the four steps are intended as a guide to your time in God's word and with God.
Using lectio divina may take you some time to get use to, so stick to it for a couple of weeks before judging it's merits. In the beginning, you might be distracted by trying to follow the steps; however, this is normal and will quickly pass.
Lectio divina tends to help you pray better by forcing you to slow down and spend more time praying. Also, because much of it is reflection oriented, you may find that your prayer life takes on a greater sense of being a conversation with God. These are just a couple of lectio divina's benefits. May God bless you richly in other ways as you practice it.
About the Author:
Visit www.ThePracticalDisciple.com to learn about lectio divina steps (http://thepracticaldisciple.com/2009/08/praying-scripture-using-lectio-divina.html) . Or, select another prayer model (http://thepracticaldisciple.com/2010/11/benefits-of-using-a-prayer-model.html) to improve your relationship with God.
Lectio divina, also known as "divine reading" or "holy reading" is an easy to follow prayer method that dates back to the 1500's. If you are wanting to pray better, lectio divina can help you move toward a deeper prayer life rather quickly.
At it's essence, lectio divina is all about prayerfully and attentively reading God's word. There are four lectio divina steps: Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, and Contemplatio.
1) Lectio. You begin lectio divina by slowly and repeatedly reading a scripture text. Personally, I will read a passage three times. Each time I read it more slowly. You may want to jot down anything that tugs on your attention. Reading it out loud is another great way to make you slow down and be more attentive.
2) Meditatio. As the name implies, meditatio is a time of meditation. Meditation in this context is not like Eastern meditation of emptying your mind. Instead, in meditatio you ruminate on the text and ponder it deeply. You might ponder a word of phrase at length that you wrote down in your initial reading. Or, you you may imaginatively place yourself in the story, if you are reading something narrative from the bible. The key to meditation is to actively engage your mind with the text while listening for ways that it might meaningfully intersect your life.
3) Oratio. Oratio is the latin word from which words like oral and oratory arose. This movement, as you might guess, is about speaking to God. Up until now you have been receiving God's word. Now it is time to respond. During oratio speak from your heart to God about the passage and what it means to you. For example, if a bible passage teaches you an important lesson, thank God for that understanding and discuss with God how you will try to apply it. If a text confuses you, lift up to God your questions. However the text has spoken to you, strive to respond to God with sincerity and openness about it.
4) Contemplatio. The fourth movement is a time of resting joyfully before God in silence. Enjoy God's presence as you conclude your prayer time. You can do this by turning you attention fully and lovingly upon God from a grateful heart. Contemplatio is often difficult for people because it is much more about being with God than doing something. Imagine the love and peace that fills a parents heart as they go into their child's room at night and lovingly gaze upon their sleeping child. This is the kind of presence of mind you want to hold during contemplatio.
Though there are four distinct steps to lectio divina, don't get legalistic about the method. Basically, the four steps are intended as a guide to your time in God's word and with God.
Using lectio divina may take you some time to get use to, so stick to it for a couple of weeks before judging it's merits. In the beginning, you might be distracted by trying to follow the steps; however, this is normal and will quickly pass.
Lectio divina tends to help you pray better by forcing you to slow down and spend more time praying. Also, because much of it is reflection oriented, you may find that your prayer life takes on a greater sense of being a conversation with God. These are just a couple of lectio divina's benefits. May God bless you richly in other ways as you practice it.
About the Author:
Visit www.ThePracticalDisciple.com to learn about lectio divina steps (http://thepracticaldisciple.com/2009/08/praying-scripture-using-lectio-divina.html) . Or, select another prayer model (http://thepracticaldisciple.com/2010/11/benefits-of-using-a-prayer-model.html) to improve your relationship with God.