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Ever Ancient, Ever New
The Roman Catholic Church tradition includes a rich practice of meditation and prayer with Scripture. For centuries religious orders, clergy, and lay people have centered their daily prayer on a practice called lectio divina.
In the coming year, Fr. Bill is encouraging parishioners at Blessed Sacrament to explore and learn how to pray with lectio divina. In addition to suggesting that individuals and families to use lectio divina, Fr. Bill’s goal is that various parish gatherings will use lectio divina for opening prayer; as a start the parish staff has led the way with lectio divina at their weekly meetings.
The Bishops of the United States provide guidance on the practice of lectio divina on their website: Spiritual reading of Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospels, is an important form of meditation. This spiritual reading is traditionally called lectio divina or divine reading. Lectio divina is prayer over the Scriptures. https://bible.usccb.org- The first element of this type of prayer is reading (lectio): you take a short passage from the Bible, preferably a Gospel passage and read it carefully, perhaps three or more times. Let it really soak-in.
- The second element is meditation (meditatio). By using your imagination enter into the Biblical scene in order to "see" the setting, the people, and the unfolding action. It is through this meditation that you encounter the text and discover its meaning for your life.
- The next element is prayer (oratio) or your personal response to the text: asking for graces, offering praise or thanksgiving, seeking healing or forgiveness. In this prayerful engagement with the text, you open yourself up to the possibility of contemplation.
- Contemplation (contemplatio) is a gaze turned toward Christ and the things of God. By God's action of grace, you may be raised above meditation to a state of seeing or experiencing the text as mystery and reality. In contemplation, you come into an experiential contact with the One behind and beyond the text. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Below are online resources to provide history and more explanation about the practice of lectio divina.1. Conception Abbey (Benedictine): https://www.conceptionabbey.org/monastery/lectio-divina/
2. Jesuit Ministry: https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/lectio-divina-beginners-guide
3. Carmelite Ministry: https://ocarm.org/en/our-way-of-life/lectio-divina - The first element of this type of prayer is reading (lectio): you take a short passage from the Bible, preferably a Gospel passage and read it carefully, perhaps three or more times. Let it really soak-in.