Guided Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina, Divine or Sacred Reading is a way of prayer that uses a text as a portal to receptive stillness. Scripture, poetry, a paragraph of writing, even your life can be a text. When you’ve chosen a text you can listen below to be guided through the movements.

Lectio Divina  Divine Reading

Whatever the text we choose to pray with, (Scripture, other writings, the natural world, our own life) Lectio Divina invites the fundamental understanding that that text is a living one.  It meets and enters into relationship with you through the invitation of this practice.  The Holy offers her/his gifts to you as you move through this practice.

Lectio has four movements or steps  We may as we follow these steps feel the need to back up and pause before continuing along.  Just let this happen.  These movements are fluid.  Eventually you will move through them into the beautiful space for silence that your word or phrase has prepared in you.

As you begin, be present to your breath and let your mind rest in your heart.

Read the text slowly, paying attention to feelings, images, memories, sensations.

Lectio / Reading

Meditatio / Reflecting

Oratio / Responding

Contemplatio /Resting

Lectio:  Listen for a word or phrase that captures you.  It may delight or disturb you.  You only know it has weight in you.  Why it’s come to you doesn’t have to be apparent.  Don’t look for this word with your mind, receive it with your heart.  Repeat this word or phrase to yourself in the silence.

Meditatio:   Take time to savour the word.  Let the feelings, images, memories, sensations it evokes gather and just be.

Oratio:  Oratio means speech of address.  Listen to how all that has gathered around your word or phrase are connecting and offering the touch of God on some part of your life in this moment.  It may bring a summons toward a new awareness, or direction.  What is this touch inviting you toward?  What annunciation is there for you?

Contemplatio:  Let go of words now, not shutting them out but letting them go out from you like a tide, trusting that what is needed will return in time.  Rest in still and living Presence.  This is enough.

After the silence gently bring your awareness back to the room, to your body, your breath.  Taking a few minutes to journal about your experience is often valuable.  You will know if this feels right for you.  You may choose to just sit in gratitude.