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Lectio Divina: An Ancient Practice Perfect for Today’s Chaotic World
Why just read the Bible when you can pray it?
We’ve reached the first Friday of Lent, which means that if you take part in this penitential season you got your ashes on Wednesday (free stuff!), decided what you’re going to give up (I’ve given up editing myself; whatever comes to mind is what you’re getting from now until Holy Thursday), and tried the fish sandwich at your favorite fast food joint. With all of that out of the way, let’s talk about something you can do for the next six weeks that’s actually beneficial: Lectio Divina.
It may sound vaguely obscene, but “Lectio Divina” is simply a Latin phrase that basically translates as “divine reading.” It’s an ancient practice of reading, meditation, and prayer designed to both increase our knowledge of the Bible and help us to turn that knowledge into a stronger relationship with God and each other. It’s ancient, but perfect for us today; Pope Francis wrote about it in his first apostolic exhortation in 2013, The Joy of the Gospel, saying it is a “way of listening to what the Lord wishes to tell us in his Word and of letting ourselves be transformed by the Spirit.” After all, the Bible isn’t just supposed to inform us; it’s also supposed to transform us.
