| "If
the practice of Lectio Divina is promoted with
efficacy,
I am convinced that it will produce
a new spiritual springtime in the Church."
- Pope Benedict XVI
LECTIO
DIVINA (Latin, lek-see-o de-vee-na) is
a very ancient art, of a slow, contemplative praying
of the Bible which enables the Word of God, to
become again what God intended that it should
be - a means of union with Him.
What Lectio Divina is not:
1. The goal of Lectio Divina is not to complete
reading the Bible : The reading or listening
which is the first step in lectio divina is very
different from the speed reading which we apply
to newspapers, books and even to the Bible. Lectio
is reverential listening; listening both in a
spirit of silence and of awe… “a Listening
with the Heart”.
2. Lectio Divina is not the same as Bible study:
Bible Study is very useful at another time and
provides a solid conceptual background for the
practice of Lectio Divina, but in Lectio Divina
what is important is not to understand the text
critically but a growing relationship with God,
who is communicating His own life to us in the
sacred text.
3. Lectio Divina is not, as a rule, immediately
gratifying. One does not reap the day following
the sowing! All who know how to wait reap the
reward. If you allow yourself to be possessed
by the Word, you will hear even his silence. “There
is nothing worse in the spiritual life, than the
desire for immediate gratification.”
4. The Fruits of Lectio Divina is not your
doing but Gods free gift: In Ancient times
contemplation was not regarded as a goal to be
achieved through some method of prayer, but was
simply accepted with gratitude as God's recurring
gift.
What Lectio Divina is:
1. School of Prayer: The foremost aim of
Lectio Divina is to simply lead us to ‘communion
with God’ at all times, in prayer and out
of fixed periods of prayer.
2. School of life : For the Fathers, one
knows the bible by assimilating it to the point
of translating it into life, so with Lectio divina
because it is a foremost a ‘school of Prayer’,
we gradually take on the attitudes that scripture
desires of us.
THE PROCESS of LECTIO DIVINA:
For your daily lectio divina you may use one of
the readings from the Eucharistic liturgy of the
day or you may prefer to slowly work through a
particular book of the Bible. It makes no difference
which text is chosen, as long as one has not set
a goal of “covering” a certain amount
of text: the amount of text “covered”
is in God's hands, not yours.
1. Reading: Read the text slowly, savoring
each portion of the reading, constantly listening
for the “still, small voice” of a
word or phrase that somehow says, “I am
here for you today.” Do not expect lightening
or ecstasies. In lectio divina God is teaching
us to listen to Him, to seek Him in silence. He
does not reach out and grab us; rather, He softly,
gently invites us ever more deeply into His presence.
2. Meditation: Once we have found a word
or a passage in the Scriptures that speaks to
us in a personal way, stop reading and slowly
repeat it to yourself again and again for as long
as you are drawn to do so. The image of the ruminant
animal quietly chewing its cud was used in antiquity
as a symbol of the Christian pondering the Word
of God. Meditation allows God's word to become
His word for us, a word that touches us and affects
us at our deepest levels. Once you feel saturated
with the text move on to the next step.
3. Prayer : Speak to God as you would with
one who you know loves and accepts you. Give to
Him what you have discovered during your experience
of Meditation.
4. Contemplation: Learn to use words when
words are helpful, and to let go of words when
they no longer are necessary. So, now simply rest
in God's embrace - in the presence of the One
who has used His word as a means of inviting us
to accept His transforming embrace.
After going through the four steps you may carry
on reading from where you stopped and follow the
process again.
The Practice of Lectio Divina at St. Peters
Church (On an Experimental Basis)
We will be starting the Practice of Lectio Divina
every Friday of the Month from 6:45 p.m. to 7:10
p.m. Starting on Friday 28th July 2006.
1st Friday: Fr. Gerard – First Friday Adoration
as usual
2nd Friday: Fr. Benji
3rd Friday: Fr. Gerard
4th Friday: Fr. Ribes
5th Friday: A 20 minute talk on the faith.
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Do a FULL LENGTH "IGNATIAN RETREAT"
- While carrying on your regular activities.
On the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the
death of St Ignatius Loyola, the Promoter of the
"Spiritual Exercises", the Fathers of
St Peter's Parish are happy to guide those desirous
to go through this transforming experience.
Since most working people, are unable to make
the uninterrupted 30-day retreat, Ignatius himself
proposed a method whereby the "Full Retreat
Experience" could be had in an extended manner
over a period of a few months. This Ignatian Retreat
is called the 19th Annotation Retreat.
Any Lay Person keen on going through this experience
and having the willingness to spend "daily
one and half hour of prayer and reflection"
(which could be done in parts) are invited to
register for the retreat.
Kindly, contact any of the following parish Fathers:
Fr Benji, Fr Juan or Fr. Ribes
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