Posted on October 21st, 2010 by Dan Burke
Q: Dear Dan, can you help me understand Lectio Divina and whether or not I should use it to help me improve my prayer life? I am struggling right now and feel like I need a change but I don’t know what will help.
A: Any Christian seeking to deepen their relationship with Christ will no doubt be blessed through this time tested monastic prayer method. Below we have provided a brief history and guide for you to explore this wonderful approach to prayer:
Lectio Divina – A Brief History
Lectio Divina means “Divine Reading” and refers specifically to an approach to prayer and scripture reading practiced by monastics since the early Church.
The idea of praying with sacred scripture comes to the Church through ancient Jewish tradition. Christians in the early Church continued this tradition and further developed the practice of prayer and meditation using mostly the psalms as a rich source of heartfelt engagement with God. This development is evident in early in Church History in the 48th chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict (A.D. 480-453).
In the 11th century, a Carthusian prior named Guigo formalized Lectio Divina, describing the practice in a letter written to a fellow religious. This letter has become known as The Ladder of Monks and describes a four-runged ladder to Heaven, each rung being one of the four steps in his method of prayerful scripture reading. These steps are provided below along with a short definition of each and brief quotes from Guigo’s letter:
Lectio (reading): An attentive, slow, repetitious recitation of a short passage of scripture.
“looking on Holy Scripture with all one’s will and wit”
Meditatio (meditation): An effort to understand the passage and apply it to my own life.
“a studious searching with the mind to know what was before concealed”
Oratio (prayer): Engaging or talking with God about the passage.
“a devout desiring of the heart to get what is good and avoid what is evil”
Contemplatio (contemplation): Allowing oneself to be absorbed in the words of God.
“the lifting up of the heart to God tasting somewhat of the heavenly sweetness”
Lectio Divina Step by Step
As with any serious attempt to progress in the spiritual life, the practice of Lectio Divina will require deliberate patience. To be deliberate, we will need to set aside at least ten minutes every day. The best way to do this is to schedule our prayer times at the beginning of each week before we schedule anything else. Trying to squeeze prayer into our schedules after they are already set almost always results in our busy-ness squeezing prayer out of our schedules.
With respect to the process of Lectio Divina, it may feel mechanical until we find a natural rhythm. This is where patience comes in. It is important to keep things as simple as is possible. There will be no Lectio Divina police looking over our shoulders to be sure that we exercise perfection in our practice. No need to worry about the details. Simply seek the Lord in the scriptures. He is waiting for you there and will be delighted to lead you into a more profound relationship with Him. With that in mind, lets talk about how to prepare for our time with Him.
Preparation
First, we arrange a place to pray that is restful and devoid of any distractions or things that might distract us (i.e. computers, TV, etc.). This may involve lighting candles, burning incense or creating whatever atmosphere fosters calm and peace. The presence of icons and other visual aids to meditation can be of great benefit. It is best if the place chosen for Lectio Divina (or any kind of prayer) is a comfortable area set aside just for this activity. Then we assume a bodily posture that is conducive to prayer and reading. As we consider our posture, we should do so with the recognition that we are entering into the presence of God. Our posture should reflect one that would be the same as if we were with Christ in the flesh or before him in Eucharistic adoration.
We then turn our hearts to God, begin to breathe slowly and deeply, focusing on the Holy Name of Jesus until we are relaxed and able to focus our attention on scripture. If our minds wander, we avoid any frustration or self-condemnation and gently bring our attention back to our Lord and the text, breathing in and out in a purposeful and relaxed manner. It is important to note that unlike in non-Christian forms of Eastern prayer which seek to empty the mind, Christian prayer seeks to fill our minds with an attentiveness to God. This gentle but purposeful effort will yield a constant aiming and re-aiming of our hearts and minds toward Him and His Word.
Once we are as calm and peaceful as is possible, we simply acknowledge that Christ is with us and we pray in this or some similar way:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Lord, I know you are with me. Thank you for allowing me to recognize your presence. Thank you for being here with me now.
Then, we might offer a prayer to the Holy Spirit like the following:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of Your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.
O God, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same Spirit, help us to know what is it truly right and always to rejoice in your consolation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lectio – An attentive slow repetitious recitation of a short passage of scripture
It is always advisable to meditate on the scripture from the mass of the day, particularly the Gospel passage. However, any text of scripture will do. The key is not to rush. The goal is not to finish any particular portion of scripture but to purposefully delve into the depths of any passage that will lift our hearts to God. Just before we begin reading, we trace the sign of the cross on the scriptures, kiss the cross we traced, and then begin to read slowly, vocally, and gently, coming to an understanding of the words themselves along with the related ideas and images that surface. When a particular passage or word strikes us we pause to consider it more fully. At the first pause, we will then naturally move into meditatio.
Meditatio – An effort to understand the passage and apply it to my own life
Now we meditate on what we have read, visualizing it and listening for His prompting or His guiding. We seek the deeper spiritual meanings of the words as we place ourselves in a gospel scene as one of the participants or simply hear God speaking directly to us as we read the words. We don’t strain or exert extreme effort here, we simply allow the words to penetrate our hearts and minds and follow where God leads us through the text. Sometimes it is helpful to repeat the passage or word over and over again until the captivation and conversation with God on the passage subsides. As we begin to respond or converse with God about our encounter with him, we then move into oratio.
Oratio – Engaging or talking with God about the passage
As we are drawn into the passage we begin to converse with God about what we are reading. Oratio is simply the response of the heart to God. In whatever manner we are led, we ask for forgiveness, we thank Him, we praise Him, we ask Him to for the grace to be changed by what we have read. We ask Him to help us more fully realize what He wants us to be and to help us apply His moral, spiritual, or practical guidance to our lives. As we engage with Him, He may choose to call us deeper, to become lost in this heavenly dialogue with Him. We then find ourselves moving into contemplatio.
Contemplatio – Allowing oneself to become absorbed in the words of God and the presence of God as he calls us into deeper prayer
Here God satisfies our ultimate thirst and needs as the Holy Spirit prays within us and with us. Sometimes we recognize this work in our hearts; sometimes it is merely a matter of faith that He is with us and imparting His life-changing grace to us. Always we can know that He is changing us because he has promised that the “word of God never returns void” and that as St. Paul says, “faith comes from hearing the word of God.”
To sum up Guigo’s thoughts on the four elements; reading seeks, meditation finds, prayer asks, and contemplation tastes.
Seek Him – Find Him – Follow Him
Dan
PS: A short but more in-depth read on Lectio Divina as it relates to the prayer of Teresa of Avila is entitled Lectio Divina and the Practice of Teresian Prayer.
PSS: If you are worried about properly understanding the scriptures, the best Catholic Study Bible available is the new Ignatius Catholic Study Bible.
Posted on January 24th, 2010 by Dan Burke
The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer
by Father John Bartunek, LC, ThD
No one who is learning or desires to learn to pray more deeply and meditate more effectively on the person and work of Christ should go without this book. It offers a basic but at the same time sufficiently comprehensive overview of how to meditate in the Christian tradition (no New Age or Hindu/Buddhist influences here.)
Beyond the solid instruction on meditation method, Father John provides us with meditations through each verse of the four Gospels and group study questions at the end of each of the 303 meditation units.
This work provides spiritual reading and meditation material for every day of the liturgical year, every mass, or spiritual reading on a daily basis.
Purchase Now in the Follow Formats:
Or to Learn More – Here’s the Table of Contents (Partial):
Gods Idea of Prayer
- Christian Prayer – Eminently Christ-Centered
- Christian Prayer – Intensely Personal
Types of Prayer
- Vocal Prayer
- Meditative Prayer
- Contemplative Prayer
- Meditation vs. Spiritual Reading
Four Step Structure of Meditation
- Concentrate
- Consider
- Converse
- Commit
Difficulties in Prayer
- Sloth and Distractions
- Solving the Difficulties
- How Do I Know I’m Praying Well?
If you want to deepen your relationship with Christ by learning to meditate on Christ and his teaching through timeless and authentic reality of Christ in the Gospels, this is the best way I know of. If you want to start or enrich a small group study, this is also a fantastic resource.
Purchase Now:
Posted on January 7th, 2010 by Dan Burke
Someone once said that true genius is not in understanding complexity but in the ability to communicate complex issues in simple terms that anyone can understand. Father Jacques Philippe accomplishes in a very short easy read what most require volumes to explore and explain about the spiritual life, and specifically the life of prayer.
Father Philippe begins this fantastic book by laying the foundations of the heart of Christian mental prayer and meditation – God’s grace. He then provides a very clear and helpful contrast between Christian prayer and conflicting spiritual traditions that have recently made their way into Catholic spirituality. Through the remainder of the book he does a masterful job of drawing from the rich depths of the Carmelite tradition (St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, etc.) to provide a meaningful review of key principals of meditative prayer.
If you are seeking to better understand mental prayer, contemplation, how to deepen your own prayer life, how to overcome struggles with prayer, you can’t go wrong with Father Philippe’s faithful and coherent treatment of these topics. This really is a must read for both spiritual directors and those seeking greater depths in their prayer lives.
Major topic headings for the book:
- Mental Prayer is Not a Technique but a Grace
- How to Use the Time of Mental Prayer
- The Development of the Life of Prayer
- Material Conditions for Mental Prayer
- Some Methods of Mental Prayer
To purchase this book and support this site, click here.
Seek Him – Find Him – Follow Him
Dan
PS: You might wonder why I have this book categorized in “Centering Prayer.” The reason is that the book provides the most concise, coherent, and charitable treatment of the modern synthesis of Catholic and non-Christian prayer practices.
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Posted on December 8th, 2009 by Father John Bartunek
To serve you i
n your commitment to prayer this Advent season, Father John has provided a simple introductory guide to Christian meditation.
Each day you should reserve some time – 5, 10, or 15 minutes can be a good start – to spend in quiet, heart-to-heart conversation with Christ. This is called Christian meditation. The goal of this kind of prayer is to deepen your personal relationship with Christ, praising God and receiving his grace, and to identify yourself more and more with the purpose of your life: to live in communion with God through the fulfillment of his will. As you develop the habit of this prayer, you will find ways to personalize the method. To begin, however, and in order to overcome the distractions and dryness common to those starting off on a more demanding life of prayer, the following structure has shown to be of great utility.
Be sure to choose a time and place conducive to the silence and attention required; most spiritual masters recommend that we do our meditation early in the day, before the thousand cares of this busy world tangle us up in their knots. They also recommend that we do it at the same time every day, and in the same place, somewhere quiet, where we know that interruptions and distractions will be limited. More important than the time and place, however, is the commitment to make meditation part of your daily spiritual fare, no matter how busy you get or little you feel like praying.
Your meditation can be divided into 4 steps – the four “C”s: Concentrate, Consider, Converse, Commit.
Concentrate
This simply means focusing your attention on God, on his presence, on your relationship with him. You renew your faith, your love, your hope in him. You ask him for the particular grace you are seeking in this time together with him. You recall that he created you and is interested in you – so much so that he sent his Son to save you and established the Church to guide you to your eternal home. This first step of your prayer means concentrating on your true center: your identity as a creature, a beloved child of God in need of his grace.
Consider
In the second step of your meditation you take a passage from Scripture, or from a spiritual book, or the Catechism, of the writings of a saint, or even a sacred image or a beautiful natural landscape (you work out what kind of material is best for you through experimentation and the guidance of a spiritual director) and you read it over. You reflect on what it means, what it tells you about God and his ways and his plans, and what it means for you personally, in your particular situation and state in life. In this stage you ponder in your mind and heart some truth or aspect of God’s revelation, you apply it to your life and make it your own. Sometimes asking questions can help your consideration: what is the meaning of the passage? What are its key words? What is going on here? How would I express it in my own words?
Converse
Here is the core of the meditation: a heart-to-heart conversation with Christ about the passage you have been considering and the insights that the Holy Spirit has been giving you. This intimate, personal exchange is what separates Christian meditation from other merely psychological exercises that don’t move beyond concentration. Here is the mark of true prayer, where you respond to the Word of God with words of your own, expressing your admiration, your gratitude, your love, your confusion, your need – whatever the consideration stirred up in your soul. You also give him time and room to speak to you. He often chooses to do this not with words or even ideas, but by moving your will, by directly touching your heart. (Try not to get hung up on hearing him explicitly every day, but you should be able to look back over several days or weeks and recognize his action in your prayer life.) As you converse, in the silent depths of your heart you open yourself to God, offering your life and inviting him once again to come and show you the way to a living communion with him. All the other steps of the meditation are directed to this step, so if you only need a brief moment of concentration and consideration in order to enter into heartfelt conversation with the One who loves you, don’t dawdle on steps one and two. Normally, however, we need to gather our attention in order to be able to hear and respond to the Word of God, and steps one and two help us to do that.
Commit
Finish your prayer by letting it affect your life: commit yourself to do something concrete today as a result of the time you spent with our Lord, whatever you think the Lord is asking of you or whatever you think would please him. Whether it means making an extra visit to a chapel to spend more time with him, or asking someone to forgive yesterday’s temperamental outburst, or visiting someone who is in the hospital, or calling that person who needs a call – something concrete, measurable, real; something about which you can say at the end of the day: yes, I did that, or no, I didn’t. This insures that our prayer life doesn’t become a mere psychological sedative or an exercise of vanity. As you offer this commitment to the Lord, thank him for his presence and the graces he has given you during this time of prayer, ask pardon for your distractions (especially if you invited them or gave in to them out of laziness or lack of faith), and finish by entrusting the fruits of your prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary through reciting a Hail Mary.
End with the sign of the cross, and then go forth to glorify God by fulfilling his will out of faith, hope, and love.
Yours in Christ, Father John Bartunek, LC, ThD
Posted on September 10th, 2009 by Dan Burke
There are many ways to understand God’s leading in our lives. One way, came as a helpful surprise during spiritual direction. My director asked me, “What is the Holy Spirit leading you to focus on at this time?” As a reflex, I reached over to my daily planner and quickly flipped back through the pages – the pattern was clear. Here’s what I discovered – it might work well for you too.
Using Father John’s Bartunek’s method of meditation from “The Better Part,” there are several steps that lead to a sentence or two that I record each day. As a reminder, the four step process is, 1) concentrate, 2) consider, 3) converse, and 4) commit. Usually, by the “converse” step, I get an impression of what God is asking of me. At the “commit” step I translate and record what I am sensing into something actionable that I can look back on at noon each day (mid-day examen).
When I began the habit of meditation I used this list of questions to become more aware of His promptings:
- What is the Lord trying to tell me in this Gospel passage (or reading)?
- What resonance does it have in my heart?
- What implications does it entail for my life?
- How have I behaved up to now in this respect?
- How should I behave from now on?
- What difficulties will I need to overcome?
- What means do I need to use to do so?
At this point, the process is far less mechanical than when I started. However, occasionally I review this list and the method to ensure I stay on track.
The power of this approach, and any healthy journal writing habit, is the ability to see the patterns – to see God’s leading. Though I had not thought of using my daily commitment notes this way – it proved to be a very encouraging, quick, and easy approach to see the clear pattern of God’s movement in my life and prayer.
May your meditation be fruitful and may you hear His voice.
Seek Him – Find Him – Follow Him
Dan
