Notes This blog is not about the Lectio Divina, it is a means of doing the Lectio Divina. This blog does not tell you how to pray the Lectio Divina, it is an occasion of praying the Lectio Divina. You are invited to join in with others from all over the world and pray with us the Word of God.

You know that the Lectio Divina has four stages:

Lectio (or reading);

Meditatio (or reflecting);

Oratio (or praying);

Contemplatio (or contemplating).

Although these are progressive, and one leads to the other, sometimes the fuse into each other and call back a previous stage.

In this blog, I will be proposing the continuous reading of a book of Holy Scripture, bit by bit, week after week. We will spend a whole week reading, reflecting, praying and contemplating the Word of God revealed in the same passage. Everyone is invited to participate. The Spirit of God, present in every human being, gives the gift of wisdom and understanding to all. He does so, not only when we are passive recipients of the Word, but also through our active sharing of the gifts we receive. You are blessed by my findings and my wisdom, and we are blessed by yours. Therefore, do not hold back the Word of God from incarnating itself in you, and from transforming you into a Word of God for others.

Before reading the Passage of Scripture, pray to the Holy Spirit, ask Him to lead you in reading, reflecting, praying and contemplating the Word; ask Him to enlighten you and enkindle in your heart the fire of His Love.

“Come, Holy Spirit,

Fill the heart of your faithful,

And enkindle in him (her)

The fire of Your Love!”

About Reading

Before thinking and reflecting, see that you have read the Word well. If we do not listen well, it is very easy to arrive at the wrong conclusions! Therefore, give time, much time, to reading the Passage. Invest time in doing the work of the ant, that spends the whole summer collecting bits and pieces for the coming winter: gathering pieces of information from anywhere about the meaning of one word, a single phrase or a whole sentence. Do not forget that the Word of God explains itself; so search for cross-references. But consult any resource of Biblical dictionaries, commentaries and interpretations. The Lectio Divina is not a study of the Bible, but it includes some study; bible study is a good preparation for a fruitful Lectio Divina. Whenever you decide to share your findings, please give the reference; not only to give merit where it is due, but also not to compromise the authority of the Bible. If you share your knowledge, it is good to assume responsibility and give a good profile of your qualifications.

About Reflecting

Studying the Scriptures should not be an end in itself, at least not in the context of the Lectio Divina. The bee also does a similar work to that of the ant; the bee too gathers every little pollen it finds on various many flowers. But then it retires in the hive to process it in order to produce wax and honey. When a word, phrase, or sentence has struck you, and you have given time to understand its deep, hidden and mysterious meaning, you should stop and listen to what the Lord is telling you. What does this Word has to do with your present situation? What is its relevance to where you stand now? What is the light that this Word is throwing on your life? Prayer is first and foremost something very personal. But when we decide to pray together, God speaks to us as a community. Therefore, God might want to speak to others through your reflection, even if it seems to be personal. So, if you feel impelled to share it, do not hesitate to do so by sending it in the form of a comment in this blog.

About Praying

The Word of God evokes a response. True prayer is the one which the Holy Spirit does in us: He leads us to pray as we ought. If we let go and abandon ourselves to be guided by Him, we need not be in a hurry to do something, to respond. If we are docile to Him, there will come a moment when our heart is moved to react to the Word, in the same spirit it has come to us. We might feel like praising God, thanking Him, asking Him forgiveness, or else pleading Him. At this stage. the Lectio Divina starts getting very intimate. Certain movements of the heart are beyond expression. However, since you are praying the Lectio Divina with a virtual community, with many others around the world, you might feel moved by the Holy Spirit to share some, or part, of your prayer. Doing so, your prayer will not only become OUR prayer, but you might never know how the Holy Spirit would be using you that others may learn how to pray! So, please, do use the blog to share your response to the Word chosen for our Lectio Divina.

About Contemplating

The Lectio Divina leads us through a process: it leads us gently into the Mystery of the Incarnation, the mystery which is at the heart of Christianity. We approach the Word with respect and reverence, we feel distanced from it: totally Other. We feel our unworthiness to read it and listen to it; we feel our poverty and incapacity to crack its deep meaning. But as we let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Word, the Spirit of Wisdom, we start getting enwrapped in a sense of awe. The initial distance starts to disappear. The Word we read and listened to so attentively, becomes the Word that is echoing from the depths of our heart. This is the way we get catechised (from the Greek word meaning: “to echo”). The Word starts to become part of us, one with us. The Word of God like incarnates itself in each one of us. This is the meaning of contemplating the Word: enjoying its beauty, its simplicity, its goodness, its truth, its presence. The result will be unpredictably great: imagine, acting from the heart when the heart is full of the Word of God. When you see some fruit, and notice some of your actions that were inspired by the Word, you are encouraged to use the blog to share and witness to the power of the Word, for the good of others and the Greatest Glory of God!

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