Hi dear brothers and sisters, I hope this video finds you healthy and watchful as our Lord Jesus invites us in this Advent season. During this month of December, we have been trying to share with you our way to be in touch with God through the meditation of the Bible. Today’s theme is about Lectio Divina.
Definition
Lectio divina is an ancient catholic prayer method for reading and praying with the Bible. It is a spiritual process by which we encounter God in his sacred Word and respond to his grace. Don’t let the Latin scare you away from learning to do it yourself or from sharing it with others because it is amazing. Once you try it you cannot stop doing it anymore.
According to Pope Benedict XVI, Lectio Divina is broken down into the following steps:
1.Lectio (reading); 2. Meditatio (meditation); 3. Oratio (prayer); 4. Contemplatio (contemplation); 5. And Actio (action), as result of the encounter with God in Scripture.
Is it not cool to say it in Latin? Let’s look briefly at each step
How to practice lectio divina?
LECTIO (reading)
In the first phase of lectio divina we try to answer the question: What does the text say that everyone should understand? Therefore, we read once or twice the word of God that we have chosen in order to understand what the passage says in itself. This is the literal meaning of the scripture passage. We do not let our opinions influence our reading but seek to understand the message of the passage as interpreted by the Church independently of anyone’s opinions.
MEDITATIO (Meditation)
In the meditation phase of Lectio Divina, we ask: what does this text say to me, today, and to my life? We allow God to pull up certain memories of peoples, places, and events in our lives that relate to the passage we are reading. We can consider our own feelings as if we were participants in the text. In this way, we come to a deeper appreciation of how God is working in our lives and consider the areas in our own lives that God is calling us to contemplate through the sacred Word.
ORATIO (Prayer)
At this phase, we can ask ourselves: what can I say to the Lord in response to his Word?
Through meditation on Sacred Scripture, we experience an intimate encounter with God that leads us to respond in prayer. Having met our Lord in his holy Word, our prayer becomes a simple conversation with God. It is a conversation that comes in various forms: we make petitions (or requests) to God, we give him thanks and praise. We might also ask for the intercession of Mary or the saints represented in the passage we read.
CONTEMPLATIO (Contemplation)
A true encounter with the lord always leads to transformation. We, therefore, ask ourselves: what conversion of mind, heart, and life is the Lord asking of me?
Through contemplation, we come to an understanding of the parts of our lives that need to be transformed by God’s grace. We humble ourselves and open our lives up to his transformative power. This step comes with the willingness to change, openness, and trust in God, and the decision to follow God’s will rather than our own.
ACTIO (action)
Finally, as an essential result of the encounter with God in sacred Scripture, we ask ourselves: what concrete action am I going to do in response of God’s love? Having received God’s love and grace, we go forth to serve others out of the love we have been given. Our transformation calls us to witness to others; it calls us to selflessly serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in Verbum Domini, “we do well also to remember that the process of lectio divina is not concluded until it arrives at action (action), which moves the believers to make his or her life a gift for others in charity” (no. 87).
Where to practice lectio divina?
The amazing thing with lectio is that you can practice it everywhere, at any moment: while going to school on the bus, in the traffic, during your break time, at home or in the chapel. Alone or with friends or family you are the one who chooses. The only thing you need is the Word of God in your smartphone, a quiet place and there you are in communion with your beloved God. You can start by listening to music that puts you in the condition of meditation. 10 to 15 min per day is enough to practice your Lectio Divina.
