Lectio Divina

One summer a few years ago, the Little Sisters of the Poor introduced me to lectio divina. Sister offered a biweekly service and prayer evening for young adults. After helping serve dinner to the residents and visiting with them, we ate a simple supper ourselves. The meat of the night, however, was Eucharistic Adoration with lectio divina, concluding with Compline and Benediction. I liked the experience of lectio divina but had difficulty replicating it myself without the selected passage and questions for reflection that the sisters provided.

I had the opportunity to review Praying Scripture for Change: Introduction to Lectio Divina as part of the review program the Catholic Company provides.

In the opening chapters Dr. Gray provides a gentle exhortation to pray and encouragement engage in lectio divina, an approach to attaining “life-giving dialogue with God.” Using an ancient metaphor, the process of lectio divina is explained as ladder reaching to heaven. Guigo, a Carthusian monk, described a four rung ladder which raised monks to heaven from earth. Careful reading of Scripture (lectio) comes first, followed by reflection upon the reading and what emerged from it (meditatio). Prayer and dialogue with God (oratio) leads to the gift of contemplation (contemplatio) wherein one has a joyful experience with God. Grey provides a comprehensive description of each ‘rung’ of Guigo’s ladder and adds a fifth, practical application if the fruits of one’s dialogue with God’s Word (operatio).

As an analytical person, I find that my personal experience with lectio divina has been enriched by studying this book. Even if one were not to follow the proscribed steps of lectio divina in his personal prayer life, I am sure he would be edified by the many nuggets of wisdom found in the book.

“Diligently practice prayer and lectio divina. When you pray, you speak with God; when you read, God speaks to you.”
–-St. Cyprian