I am so excited to write about this form of prayer today! It is one of my favourite ways to pray the Bible (I love praying the Bible in every way I learn, haha). It is called Lectio Divina.
What is Lectio Divina?
Lectio Divina is an ancient form of prayer, where you converse with God through the reading of a passage in the Bible. It can be done alone or together with other people (like your family!). It is a beautiful time of stillness, but may not be appropriate for wriggly littles who are not great verbally yet.
How is it prayed?
There is a sequence to praying a Lectio Divina.
- The first step to any Lectio Divina is to choose a reading. I find that if you want to read from the New Testament, the Gospels tend to work best, and if you’re looking for some Old Testament readings, look to the prophetic and poetic (think Psalms, Wisdom, Proverbs, and of course the various prophets). Don’t go for anything too long, as you’ll need to do several readings, and the point is to focus on one specific and personal message. If you have no idea where to begin, it can be a good idea to look at today’s readings for the daily Mass.
- Now that you have selected a passage, it is time to physically, mentally, and spiritually ready yourself to become intimate with the Lord. Do what you need to do to bring your focus to God’s Word. Perhaps you need to put on soft music, or maybe you need to ensure silence by turning off devices and closing doors. Maybe lighting a candle or closing your eyes can help you to settle.
Optional: I like to say a short prayer here. You could pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you in this reading and to soften your hearts to hear His word for you. - Once you have reached a comfortable stage of quietness and stillness, you can begin to read the passage. I recommend having one person read out loud, especially if you are in a group since there are three readings, you can assign a different person to read each time. Let the whole passage wash over you as you read it. Listen openly for a salient word or phrase. Trust that the Holy Spirit is pulling your attention to this tiny excerpt – God has something to say to you here!
- When you have found a word or phrase that stands out to you (sometimes you may not find it in the first reading, but don’t worry), read the passage once more. As you read, let that particular word or phrase speak to your heart. After this reading, take some time to silently reflect on God’s message for you in the word or phrase that you find yourself focusing on. Try to understand what God is saying to you.
Sometimes the Word of God acts as a window, helping us to see something, a call to action, a mission, a promise, consolation, or encouragement. Sometimes it is a mirror, with convicting words or subtle remarks that help us to look at ourselves. Which of these is it today?
Remember too, that the Lord is always with you and it is not out of the ordinary for Him to speak directly into your life and the things you have going on. Be open to His word for you, even if it is not what you want to hear. Trust in Him!
Optional: If you are praying in a group, you may take a few moments to allow anyone who would like to share God’s word for them with the rest of the group.
- Read the passage a third time and then spend some more time in silence responding to God’s word. Thank Him for His word, but above all, be sincere in your response! God is not afraid of your fear, or your sadness, anger, resistance, or any other reaction you might feel like hiding from God… He will listen and continue to love you.
- Read the passage one more time and let go of the word or phrase that you have been meditating on, remembering to hold on to the message. Still your thoughts and rest in God’s love.
Optional: After this time of silence, I like to close with a short prayer, thanking God for His word and asking the Holy Spirit to help us be faithful as we bring His word for us to others, through our lives, and then make a sign of the cross.
And that’s it! My only caveat is that in the classic form, it is a long and involved prayer. It might be wise to keep it for mid-teens and up (it wasn’t until my early 20s that I was introduced to this form of prayer myself). I wouldn’t recommend it for youngsters with short attention spans, but you know your kids better than I do.
If you do want to try it with younger ones, maybe you could modify it and have them simply listen for a word or phrase that stands out after one reading and talk about why it might stand out to them. This form of prayer can be a good way to get them used to listening for God’s word in the Bible.
Have you ever prayed a lectio divina? How did you find it? What did you like about it? Please do leave a comment!
Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!
Mom Things Through Christ 